Prince Of My Heart
by Qpidity
Summary: Aragorn was born to be king, leading the people of the land through war. The one problem with that? Aragorn was born a girl. Fem!Aragorn/ eventual Legolas.
1. Chapter 1

1. Gold that doesn't glimmer.

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After all the perilous adventures that the great ranger had survived in eighty some years of existence, one had never dealt with such difficulties as Aragorn had within the past several days. Who knew that such little people carried with them such unimaginable danger? It was obvious that whatever luck the Halflings may have once carried abandoned them when they left the Shire. The only fortune that had befallen the little people during their short ventures thus far was their meeting Strider on the way to seek counsel with Lord Elrond the Half-Elven. Even that was short lived, it seemed, as their new found companion had to stick a neck out on several occasions to save them from the darkness that tracked them through the wilderness.

Something bad was bound to happen, what with Aragorn being the only warrior in the group with wilderness survival skills. In fact, the stranger was the only one in the group that could actually fight with any level of competency. It still bothered the hooded warrior that young Frodo was harmed under the little bit of protection that was provided, whether completely at fault or not.

They were lucky enough to have reached Imladris in the nick of time with no further incidents. Still, it was with a burdened conscience that Aragorn faced Elrond the Half-Elven. Perhaps there was more that a warrior could have done, and if there was the great Elf Lord would know. He saw all. Besides that, there was the fact that he was the elf who raised Aragorn and taught the human everything the future king knew to be. Aragorn hated to see that look of disappointment on his face again... the same look he gave when Gilraen told him the child she brought was Isildur's heir, future king, leader of men... and a young girl. Aragorn's mother gave her that very look up unto her death, and would have probably died with it still upon her brow had the future ruler been nearer to her on the day of her passing.

It was just common sense that no man would follow a mere woman into battle, whether she held the blood of Númenor or not. The battlefield was no place for a woman, for it was said to bring bad luck. On top of that, the women folk were to be the fairer sex, and needed to stay away from the harsh realities of war.

Being the only child born into her lineage, there was no way around it. Aragorn would have to win the trust of her people, and the only way to do that would be to lie to them.

With war nearly on the countries doorstep there was no time to create a new heir. Her father died soon after her birth so there was no hope there, and she was still too young to bear a child because of her lineage blessed with long life. If she did somehow miraculously have a child or her mother waited till she could, there would be little to no time for them to be trained, and it may be born a girl again. Elrond and Aragorn's mother had to work with what they were given, so the girl-child was named Aragorn to convince others of her greatness and lineage and masculinity while Elrond took her under his wing to be trained.

Her hair was cut short, and she was told to ignore all that was proper to be a lady. From that point onward young Aragorn was to act like a man, and a warrior. She would learn to be the proper king they meant her to be, and hopefully would forget what she was born to be.

By the time Aragorn was of age to leave she had learned everything Elrond had to teach a future king, along with something extra. He taught her how to heal. It was generally something he taught to future queens, but he deemed it appropriate that she learned. She would never be as amazing as he was, what with the help of his magic ring, but she could do something that no other warrior could do- she could heal things with the same hands that were used to destroy.

And with the knowledge Elrond instilled in her, Aragorn left his kingdom to apply it. Never once, in the fifty plus years since she left, was the fact revealed that she was truly a woman. As far as Aragorn was aware only Elrond and her mother knew of her true gender, and from what she heard her mother had long since taken it to her grave. There was no doubt that Elrond would take such secret with him to the Gray Havens of Valinor.

"Estel! Welcome," Elrond greeted at the gates to his city, using the name he had given Aragorn long ago, which meant hope in his tongue. It also was not as masculine. "Do not worry, the young Hobbit has been taken to a proper room and is being watched by several healers."

Glorfindel and the masquerading warrior just nodded, but the other three Halflings were more reluctant to let the conversation about their friend slip. "Will he be okay?! Will he be alright? Can we see him?" They all shouted simultaneously.

Elrond looked to them gravely. "Only time will tell, young ones. For now, let him have his rest." He clapped his hands and all were quickly met with a horde of merry elves. "Until more is known of your companion's condition, please accept my hospitality. Perhaps you can use this time to bathe and make yourselves look presentable come meal time- which should be served within the hour."

"Did you hear that, Merry? We will have a proper meal for the first time in days!" Pippin shouted joyously, hugging his friends. Sam shrugged away from the others, not as easily forgetting the plight of his friend.

"Do as you wish, but Aragorn, you truly should find your way to the bath house." He reached forwards to run his thumb over her dirt covered chin. "_If I didn't know better, I would mistake you for a common beggar, and not the future king of men._" Elrond chuckled as he spoke the last sentence in elvish, causing Glorfindel to hide his smirk of silent agreement.

Aragorn politely nodded and stepped out of his reach. "I am sorry if my sight offends you, my lord, but I have been rather busy running errands for Gandalf." Suddenly feeling self-conscious at being in front of the man who practically raised her, she nervously ran a hand through her longer than usual, grease filled locks. "I hardly found the time, nor the place to clean myself. If I did find the place, I doubt I would have been able to- What, with all of the things I could have been doing with my time?"

Glorfindel let out a hearty chuckle at such a response, slapping her back harder than most might think possible in accordance to his lithe frame, causing Aragorn to stumble momentarily. "You will run yourself ragged with that philosophy, young King!" He turned on his heels, motioning for the elves and hobbits to follow as he left. "Take care, young Aragorn. Something tells me that in the weeks to come you will look back and be glad you did have a little relaxation time."

Elrond's brow furrowed as his friend left, waiting until the golden haired elf was out of earshot before speaking. "He is correct, you know. I have foreseen it." He murmured after a pregnant pause. Most likely he was checking that no others were around before beginning the conversation, but many tended to think he just liked being theatrical. With him being the master of so many stories, he was bound to use some trick to keep the audience's attention. In all Aragorn's years of knowing him it worked every time. "Sadly, it was one of the few things I have seen in some time. We are in such dark times, and it seems to be shrouding my vision. Nothing is certain anymore."

They began their walk down the halls of his beautiful home as she kept him company in his musings. "I have worried for you endlessly ever since you first left us. I feared you may never return to the Last Homely House. Sure you may be strong in body and spirit, but the enemy has strengthened much more than I would like to see. It is one of the few things I can see, I fear. Seeing the strength of the enemy and a limited amount else does little to guide my judgment, or soothe my fears. It is amusing that so many are to come to me soon seeking my wisdom when I am the one that seems the least fitted to give it in such times."

"You mustn't say such things! You have become a trusted creature in a world where such things are hard to come by." Aragorn paused in her thoughts for a moment before thinking aloud, "And if you are unsure of your judgment, how am I to win over the love of my people?" He shot her a sorrowful look, but, much to his mortal companion's chagrin, he avoided the question

He paused as they passed a window and looked at the beauty of the city beyond. "I shall be leaving within the next several seasons, though it is still not certain when. My people are no longer safe here. They worry- needlessly I hope, but still." He rested his hand on the sill as the birds continued to chirp, unknowing of the evil that rested just on the borders of the fair realm, protected tirelessly by Elrond. "I also fear I have stayed too long in this world. My dear wife has waited for me for longer than I would have liked. I once vowed revenge on the Orcs for what they did to her, but such a road is long and treacherous. The best thing I can do is leave before war takes the life of anymore of my people, or family."

Aragorn nodded at his words. "Your war was fought many years ago. After that war, your people never recovered. Now is the age of men- and though the human race has failed you once, I will assure you that it won't happen again." His beautiful misty eyes turned to hers as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "Leave these shores with peace, Lord Elrond. I will succeed or die trying."

His deep laughter filled the halls. "I am sure you will, my child. You were never one for doing something half way. I am disappointed in you, though," He frowned and took the woman's hand, leading her down the hall further. "I think of you as my own child, I raised you from birth, yet you still are adamant about calling me by my title. Few in my court even go so far as to call me as such." Ruffling her hair he let out a thunderous laugh as she shied away and tried to fix it, though it was already in terrible disarray. "Please, just call me 'Elrond' in the time I have left with you. Though, if you really wish to humor an old elf you could refer to me as Adar (Father)."

Bowing her head, she gave him a smile. "I would be proud, Adar."

A ghost of a smile flickered across his lips as they continued down the halls. "I have told my children of your arrival. Elladan and Elrohir seem to be overjoyed at the thought of sparring with you again, while Arwen is just happy with the thought of seeing you." He smiled at the thought of his true children. "She seems to think of you as more of a friend than any of the elves she has ever met."

"You haven't told any of them of my true... nature, have you?" Aragorn cut in before he could continue.

"No, no. I have kept your mother's promise. Nobody will know unless you chose for them too- which leads us to our next problem." He finally stopped in front of the doors of his private rooms, leaving her to wonder why exactly they had stopped. "As you know, the hobbits have by now joined Glorfindel in the hot springs, which means you have no place to bathe that would keep your identity a secret."

"I can wait. I have waited this long."

Elrond wrinkled his nose, shaking his long mane of hair. "I wouldn't if I were you. I know men are not the most cleanly of creatures, but while you are to remain in my home you are to remain well washed and dirt free." He pointed a scolding finger in her direction, but she simply smirked.

"I am only acting how any average warrior would. Isn't this what is expected of most men?" His young, almost-child mocked.

He sighed. "I thought I would have raised you better, but here you are acting like a slob. You may be meant to be a 'man,' but you were raised by elves. I would have wished some of those values would have carried over."

Aragorn let out a hollow breath and ran a hand over her mud caked face. "I am sorry, adar." she looked away for a moment in embarrassment. "It's just... it is becoming harder to hide the fact that I am not who I say I am. I may be over eighty years old, but physically I am more along the lines of mid to late twenties, thanks to my lineage. Once I scrub the dirt from my face it will become more obvious what I am lacking. For being the supposed 'Future king' it must look a little odd that I don't have even the faintest scruff on my face!" She began pacing. "Even when I try my voice isn't nearly as masculine as a man's should be! Not to sound rude, but how thought out was this plan of yours and mother's?"

Elrond's frown visibly deepened. "I know this isn't the easiest thing in the world, Estel, but for the survival of your race you must give up everything- even what should be natural. Your entire life is forfeit to this war." He cast her a pitying look. "It is a shame that you must pay for your ancestor, Isildur's, shortcomings, but somebody must. Because of your many trials in life I am sure you will be a very fair and just ruler." He laid his hand on her back while leading the two of them into his room. "Many would give their very lives for the chance to be king, but as Bilbo said- 'not all that glimmers is gold.' Or, I think that is the saying. The little creature has so many it is hard to keep them straight."

Aragorn let the Elf-man lead her into his chamber. She honestly didn't care anymore. Certainly she wouldn't be able to live up to Elrond's plans. How could she ever become such a great leader, much less a king- which she wasn't truly born to be.

"I had some elves draw a bath in the room just beyond the door. New clothes have been placed within, as well as a selection of oils and soaps. None should interrupt you here, and I will be kept busy with your young Frodo." He gestured to a door beside an overflowing book case and turned to leave. "Take your time. Others should be arriving soon and I wish that you would look appropriate when they do."

Aragorn nodded and headed to the door.

~O~

When Elrond said a 'selection' of soaps what he really meant was that he had every kind of soap this side of the sea had to offer. On a normal day Aragorn may have been slightly offended, but she knew how elves were about their hygiene. Also, she honestly couldn't remember the last time she had such a soothing bath, so she just enjoyed sampling every kind of soap the room had to till the water turned murky with suds, as well as dirt.

Within the first fifteen minutes Aragorn looked like a new person. She must have lost ten pounds worth of mud and grease by the time she was finished scrubbing herself raw. Once she was sure every speck of dirt was gone she began to consider leaving the warmth of tub to retrieve the knife from her belt. She needed it to cut her matted hair in order to look somewhat presentable, otherwise Aragorn truly would look like the woman she was, with her longer hair framing her feminine features more than Elrond would have liked.

Before she could muster up the strength to stand, a sudden knock caused her to hide her body as far under the murky water as possible. Hopefully the water would be enough to stop whoever from seeing anything too revealing- in both senses of the word.

Aragorn was extremely thankful for her quick reflexes, seeing as how the person at the door gave little, if any, hesitation before thrusting the door open.

"Oh, My!" A maidenly voice gasped just as Aragorn dove beneath the water. "Aragorn, is that you?" The she-elf questioned, as if walking in on somebody bathing was the most normal thing in the world. "I am sorry for interrupting." Aragorn looked at her oddly from the water, slightly confused as to why she made no move to leave after seeing the situation. "It is I, Arwen. Remember?"

"Is there something I can do for you?" Aragorn murmured uncertainly as she sunk up to her chin in the water. What exactly did she want? Aragorn knew her little, though she did seem like a nice person from the little that was known. Perhaps, if the future king were not in the situation she was born into she would have been close friends with her, shared beauty tips with her, and talked late into the night about feminine things that seemed so foreign in her current way of life. As it was, Aragorn was closer to her twin brothers.

"It has been so long since I last saw you." It was a surprise to see a faint blush cross her pale cheeks. "I just hoped to see you before you set off again. I missed you, and seeing as you are still a mortal, I feared you may have aged beyond recognition."

"There is nothing to worry about. I have strong blood in my veins, and do not age as quickly as most peoples of my kind. There is little for you to worry about, I have many years before me yet." Aragorn squirmed under the water. Why hadn't she left yet?

Arwen turned and offered her best smile. Looking at her was often painful for Aragorn, though she hated to admit it. It reminded her of what might have been, had she not been forced into being a fake king. Sure, she would by no means be as beautiful as Elrond's daughter, for she was of elfish blood, but she imagined her hair would be just as long and silky, with the same color and curl. Her skin would never be as fair, but it wouldn't be nearly as dark as it was currently with the days she had spent under the sun. Aragorn's eyes would be softer- a deep shimmering blue that might even rival the elf maiden's- had they not been hardened by war. Being of her lineage Aragorn was tall, but not nearly as tall as an elf. Her boots helped with the difference between herself and men, but when it came to elves there was still a chance they would stand taller, as Arwen did. Still, it was to be expected.

Arwen was beautiful, and whenever Aragorn found herself doubting what she was giving up for her country she often found herself thinking about the elf's beauty. She was everything she wished she could be on those days. Sadly, Middle Earth needed a leader before it needed a nurturer.

"I hope you are right, Aragorn, for I wish to get to know you better," she stated boldly as she took a step further into the room. "I hope you do not find that to forward of me?"

By now Aragorn's lips were partially covered by the murky water as she sank deeper into the tubs depth to avoid anything being seen. "Not at all!" She quickly shouted out when she noticed her hesitance. Honestly, Aragorn wondered what brought this on in the first place, and just wanted this to be over with as soon as possible. "I think that is a fine proposal. I would love to strengthen our bond... but I am slightly busy at the moment."

Her face suddenly shown bright. "When you are done would you join me for meal time?"

"When I am done, I will do anything you like." Aragorn let out an awkward chuckle as she shifted.

A odd mischievous smirk grew across Arwen's mouth- a look Aragorn was unfamiliar with. "I will hold you to that, future king~!" She flirtatiously giggled while she left.

Meanwhile Aragorn was puzzled. What exactly had she agreed to?

* * *

Oops! Maybe somebody should have told poor Arwen after all...


	2. Chapter 2

2. Something that does glimmer

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Just so you know, this is planned to be based more off of the books than the movies. Both will be incorporated, but if you get confused as to how events are different, it is because they are more from the novel. That is not to say I will exclude all things from the movies! Both are good.

More people are introduced in this chapter! What will they think of our King?

* * *

The next several weeks passed quickly, even though news traveled faster through Rivendell than time. During that period, Aragorn found that Arwen had become nearly unbearable with her constant companionship around the city. Her unusually loud chattering, overly merry laughing, and affectionate batting hand wherever they walked caused quite a ruckus around every single populated area, as well as unpopulated ones. Come every meal time she ensured 'her king' had a seat next to her, and practically clung to Aragorn's arm the entire time. Aragorn _wanted_ to think of her as a leech, though she was far too beautiful for such a term.

Seeing as how Aragorn never had a female friend before, she simply wrote it off as how a woman normally acted. It was nice having a friend like herself (a woman) that she could let herself go around, even if it was only slightly. Arwen still didn't know Aragorn was truly a woman, and Aragorn wasn't sure if anybody other than Elrond should be trusted with such a secret. Still, she enjoyed the false companionship of Arwen for the next several days, until the others Elrond spoke of began to make their way to his hospitality.

The dwarves showed up seeking council several days after the hobbits did. Around the same time, several men of Gondor entered the gates. Arwen was pulled away to conduct her maidenly duties to greet and welcome all, leaving Aragorn some peace, quiet, and time to find her place among the other warriors. The most animated and lively among them was Boromir, and in him she found a fast friend. All day, and late into the night, they swapped common adventures and ideas.

Finally, come dinner time their stories dribbled into short anecdotes, though even the dwarves seemed entertained by such claims. By then even they had joined in on the conversation, along with Glorfindel and several older warrior elves. Elrond was sadly not there to regale them on the true accounts of many of the tails, but by then it really wouldn't have mattered. Many things were blown out of proportion to such a degree that no amount of wine could have made it sound true. The entire room was so caught up in the amusement of it all that they didn't notice the arrival of a fourth new group as it entered the dining halls.

"Excuse me, miss, do you possibly know where we could find Lord Elrond?" A melodic elven voice broke out amidst overpowering laughter. While others sobered up from the joke Aragorn reached out to take another sip of wine, until a hand placed itself on her shoulder.

"Miss?"

At that very moment her heart ran cold as she suddenly understood who the elf kept referring to as 'Miss.' She was hoping beyond all hopes that there was some form of mistake made, but when Boromir's drunken laughter rang through the room, slowly followed by the others, she knew there was not.

"Aragorn, I can't believe that I did not see it before, but you do look rather feminine!" Boromir suddenly barked as he slapped her back. She shot him a dangerous glare while he continued in his drunken laughter. Aragorn hoped Boromir wouldn't remember this in the morning, and if he was as drunk as he was acting he most certainly would not.

To all that looked at poor Aragorn, they may have thought the warrior's face was turning red with rage, which she was rather thankful for. In truth her face was burning with embarrassment. How could some common elf see through the disguise that she had worked all these years to perfect? Honestly, that wasn't the issue at the moment. What she really was worried about was if he kept talking.

"You have made a mistake, my friend," Aragorn grumbled quickly shooting out of her chair to face the stranger. What words she made ready died in her throat as her gaze fell on his fair face.

He stood several inches taller than her, and his deep, misty-blue eyes pierced hers, cornering her in the lie before it could form on her lips. His blond hair shimmered more beautifully than any golden crown she had yet to lay her eyes on. To put it simply, he was beautiful. Perhaps he was more beautiful than any creature she had yet to see in her life. Never before had Aragorn the need to deal with one such as him before, and to be honest, it suddenly made her feel nervous. And sick.

"Perhaps, you have made a mistake," She finally forced out after overcoming her initial shock, accidentally repeating her words with less conviction than before. "You see, I am a warrior. No woman in her right mind would do such a task." Aragorn let out a slight chuckle at the thought.

"Then, is it possible that you are not in your right mind?" The creature mocked, reaching around her shoulder for a hand full of grapes from the table, getting unbearably close as he did so. His innocent, pure features almost did not match his deep, jeering tone. He shot Aragorn a light-hearted smirk as he popped a grape past his lush, pale pink lips.

Aragorn followed the grape to his obnoxiously white teeth and growled angrily at the offending elf when the fruit's juices sprayed her in the face while she was trying her hardest to be serious. He simply laughed at her while she wiped her face on her shirtsleeve.

It was obvious he was trying to get Aragorn to back down from her claims, the way he stood so intimidatingly close, eyeing every emotion that flitted across her features.

Aragorn, however, just stood there, shocked at his audacity while a new round of laughter erupted throughout the hall.

"Who are you to-to say such things!" She roared, smacking the grapes out of his hand. For the first time Aragorn noticed three more elves standing behind him as they suddenly jumped forward at her assault on their companion. Aragorn's hand just as quickly found its place on the blade at her hip, but before anything could happen the blonde elf raised his hand to stop them in their movement.

"I am Legolas of the woodland realm of Mirkwood, son of Elfking Thranduil." He frowned as he watched a grape come to a teetering halt at the heel of her boots. "May I ask as to whom I might be talking to?"

"Aragorn II, child of Arathorn II and heir of Isildur!" She swiftly drew the hilt shard of Narsil out of her leather sheath and held it where all could see. "To speak such offensive words to any man might just be enough to start a fight!" She hoped this would be enough proof to convince him that she was what she said she was. This entire conversation was beginning to make her nervous, and she really hoped it wasn't showing.

Legolas's eyes suddenly lit up with amusement, quickly covering his mouth before mumbling, "Good thing I do not speak to a man," he whispered, just loud enough for the 'man' in front of him to hear, but the other mortals in the room were clueless as to what had just transpired. The other elves, though, heard it as clearly as though he said it in their pointy tipped ears.

"Perhaps we should take this into another room where we can converse freely without involving others?" Aragorn growled as she put her blade away, taking a step forward to glower at him as best she could. Much of her menace was lost in their height difference.

"That sounds most agreeable. You lead the way- after all, _'ladies first_.'" He chided in elven. It took all of Aragorn's willpower not to bury her fist into his flawless face.

Legolas honestly found the mortal before him most amusing. Having grown up in a kingdom of elves he found that he never tired of their antics. He had never come across a woman pretending to be a man before. In elvish culture they did not differentiate between genders as much, but it was well-known that humans had set gender roles. He almost found it laughable that a woman would challenge such a thing when it could very well be her death. She could be hanged for such a claim.

"That was uncalled for! I have fought alongside Aragorn his whole life, and he has been nothing but a true and strong warrior! To make such insinuations is cruel!" Aragorn turned to find that Glorfindel had risen to defend her honor as a warrior. A little too late, sadly.

"Worry not, my friend, we just need to have a talk. I will return within the hour," she tried to wave him off.

"Do not do anything rash," he warned as the two walked out of the room. Aragorn had no intention of fighting the other, but he was being a rather irksome pest. If she didn't straighten it out soon, others might think the elf's words less as a joke and more as a truth. If that happened, all that she had given up in her life would be for not, the world of men would fall, and her people would be ravaged by the oncoming war because they had no leader to unite under. No king to rule them in such coming chaos would spell their doom.

Storming down the empty hallway, Aragorn scoured the Home for the first empty room and stepped inside. Legolas sauntered in after her, long legs easily making up for his slower pace. When she turned to confront him, she was irritated to see that he was grinning ear to pointy ear.

"Why do you so obviously disrespect me in front of my kindred?" Aragorn hissed, slamming the door and rounding on the elf in one swift movement. In one fluid motion she had an accusing finger digging into his chest. "Whether you think I am fit for the position or not you have no say in such matters! I do not even have a say in it! If the Valar wish it, I will be King! Now- I demand of you some form of respect!"

Legolas let out a simple laugh and took the threatening hand in his, softly holding it against his chest. As he suspected, it was the hardened hand of a warrior and not of a maiden, but it still gave him little doubt on the matter. The creature before him was a stubborn woman who would sooner swallow her tongue than admit he had caught her in a lie. "I mean you no disrespect. From what I understand of human culture it is proper to respect a woman by calling her 'miss,' or 'lady.'"

It was almost as if he was mocking her, yet some form of truth rang in his words. "Why do you insist I am a woman? Nobody else sees me as such." Aragorn insisted, quickly pulling away from the elf's sickeningly sweet grip as though it burning her. Her stance on the matter suddenly faltered as she began to fear others might take notice too.

"Obviously they are blinded with what they want to see."

"Oh, and that makes perfect sense! Pray tell, what is it that they want to see?" Aragorn quickly shot out, trying her best to sound sarcastic about his remark. In truth, she really did wonder why he was seemingly so sure.

The blonde beauty just stood back to ponder the question for a moment, then began to circle the creature before him as he thought aloud, "A brave warrior, a future king, a leader. As for why the elves could not see through your lie, I do not know. Perhaps they have just known you for too long?" He answered. He found it quite amusing how she fidgeted under his gaze and froze like a stalked rabbit when he left her line of vision.

"What about me makes you so convinced I am a woman? My hair is short; my skin is dark and rough. Am I not taller than a woman? I _am_ stronger! Why, even my _name_ is masculine!" Aragorn scoffed, trying not to sound as frightened as she truly was. "Am I to be _queen_, and not a King?!"

Legolas quickly brushed aside the matter of her kingly title. "Do you wish to know how I am so certain of your gender?" He inquired as he began to circle her once more, a shadow of a smile ghosting his coral lips as she froze.

"Yes! Well... Tell me why you think the way you do! It's not like you are right or any-!"

Aragorn was abruptly cut off as the tall, blonde elf, who had just circled behind her, grabbed her by the hips and pulled her body flush against his. His body heat scorched her back more than she thought possible.

"Your body is too slender-" Legolas purred from over her shoulder, feeling her entire body go ridged under his touch. "Even with its added muscle," One of his hands suddenly darted across her toned stomach, causing a slight hitch in her breathing. He smirked at the mortal's reaction. "And your hips are _far_ too wide." At this jest she angrily attempted to pull herself free, but found that was going to be a much more difficult task than she originally thought.

At the first sign of her struggles Legolas repositioned one arm around the small of Aragorn's waist, while the other traveled under her arm to the collar of her shirt, accidentally brushing against her chest as he did so. Such a move halted her in her escape attempts, causing her to let out a hissing breath between her teeth, slamming back into the elf's chest in her struggles to evade the wandering hand.

Legolas ignored her efforts of running and continued with his explanation, quite amused that he was being proven right. As a prince, he loved being right almost as much as he loved getting his way. "The fact that you are wearing a light elven shirt enables me to see that you either have a chest injury, or have bound yourself," he chuckled. His first-finger and forefinger tugged at the already low-cut, embroidered elven shirt, only to reveal a thick layer of bandages beneath.

Aragorn quickly rammed her elbow into his stomach, stumbling forward and readjusting the clothing when his arms loosened. She had been touched by many a creature before, most of them fellow warriors during a spar. Never before had she been touched in such a way, though. It was almost sickening how this warrior had her under his thumb so fast. Had this confrontation been a sword fight she wouldn't have been short of breath in such a short amount of time.

She spun to face him and was surprised at how quickly he had already recovered.

Legolas was once again stalking towards her while she backed into a wall in a sudden surge of surprise, which was something a true warrior never allowed themselves to be placed against. Even more surprising was the fact that the elf had yet to give up on the matter.

"Also," he purred, "you may be tall naturally, but I noticed earlier that your boots have a slight platform to them. This, I presume, enables you to be taller than most men." He pressed her back against the wall to observe her full height next to his. To get the full effect of how tall she was he closed the gap between the two so they stood within an inch of each other's faces.

While Aragorn was busy trying to sink further back into the wall to avoid the overly observant elf, he grabbed her wrist and pulled it up to plant it beside her face. "Also, your hands and feet are nowhere near as large as an average man's." His thumb brushed against her wrist soothingly while it held her in place. Her other hand, however, quickly went into action pushing against him. Her voice had yet to recover from her initial shock, though it was slowly awakening when she let out a high-pitched squeak as she thrashed against the wall.

Aragorn could not believe that she was being found out after all this time! It was honestly horrifying.

While her free hand was pounding on his back, his was caressing her chin. "On top of all that, your facial features are softer than any mortal maiden's I have seen before." He trickled his fingers from her chin to her neck, then they finally rested alongside her ear, causing a whimper to escape Aragorn's mouth. Thankfully, he ignored it, though there was no doubt in Aragorn's mind that he heard it. In fact, part of her suspected that the noise incidentally spurred the twisted creature on.

He leaned in close, his lips just barely brushing her ear and whispered, "No sign of a beard, even though a true man your age should be shaving twice a day." His fingers skittered back over her face causing her to shiver as they rested, this time, on her lips. "Your lips are too full to belong to any man, and your lashes too long."

As his hand moved around to the back of her neck she pulled her head as far away from his voice as she could muster. The only thing that did, though, was make her suddenly aware of his warm breath on her neck.

"Finally," he breathed heavily, causing a shiver to rack her body. "Even the smallest detail can be the most damning, but has anyone ever pointed out...?" The heat on her neck suddenly became more humid as he held out the dramatic pause longer than would ever be comfortable for such a captive audience. She almost felt his teeth on her neck at his proximity, reminding her suddenly of a warrog going for the kill. "You have no Adams apple."

She let out an audible gulp as she fell limp against the wall, giving up on her attempts at escape or convincing the elf she was truly a man. This was not happening! All that she had worked so hard to hide was so easily seen by one ornery Elf Prince.

Sure she felt violated! Who wouldn't have after having the entire truth about their life revealed, and in such a demeaning way! What was worse was the thought that the entire future of her race rested on her shoulders- and now her life was in his hands to do whatever he willed with it. If he wished to reveal her to others, that would spell the end.

It would spell the end for her, as she would most likely be executed for such an outlandish act as pretending to be a man; It would spell the end for the human race, seeing as how Sauron was rising back to power and no defined leader seemed to be taking place as king. In fact, the world of man was dividing more than it ever had before.

Slowly, the Legolas released Aragorn's wrist and withdrew from her defeated form. Amusingly enough, for him anyway, moments after he released her she crumpled to the floor.

"I have heard of the fall of many great kings, but to have one fall before me in such a fashion is almost poetic."

"Sh-shut your mouth." Aragorn hissed. She didn't understand all of her conflicting emotions. They were almost as confusing as how her body was reacting. She was so cold, so why was she sweating? Why was her heart beating so rapidly? She was shivering more than she had years before when she traveled through the pass over the mountains. And her heart was pounding as though she ran through the woods several times over.

Thankfully, before anything else was said or done, the elvish prince gave a sudden jolt of panic as he stood at attention before the fallen woman. His eyes suddenly darted towards the door, awaiting an unheard approach. The door swung open in haste as the new occupant flew in and slammed the door in an equally hurried fashion, letting his robes billow in the swiftness of his actions.

Elrond entered just as Aragorn collapsed into a cold heap on the floor. And he looked furious.


	3. Chapter 3

3. Promises and Deals

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Thanks for all your words of encouragement! I hit a bit of a writers block, but I finally pushed this out. Sorry Legy is kinda a brat at first, but he is Thranduil's kid. If you ever read the books, Thranduil can be a bit... of a hard person to get along with. Imagine being his son! Love Ya'll!

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Aragorn knew instantly how much trouble she was in for when she had woken up. The first thing that clued her in was the fact that she found herself tucked into Elrond's oversized bed. In her childhood she was only brought in there to be scolded in private by her adopted elvish father. It was the best location in Imladris seeing as how none of the other elves prying ears would hear them discuss her future in the depths of his chambers. Never in her life was Aragorn on the receiving end of a switch or the great Lord's hand when she had gotten in trouble in her younger years, but he always knew what to say to make her regret her decisions.

Yes, she had been let into his chambers earlier in the visit to bathe, but those were his outer chambers, and not nearly as daunting as the ones he slept and did most of his planning in. His bed-chambers were filled with relics from a time long gone, along with several paintings of a beautiful elven maiden. Aragorn had no doubt that the creature was Elrond's wife, so she never spoke of her or asked questions as to who she was. She knew the history from the many times the twins ranted about their quest for avenging their mothers pain at the hands of several dark creatures, and she figured it would upset Elrond to bring her up.

It was the one room in the Last Homely House that seemed to describe the Lord and everything he had done in his life, but few were given permission to ever set foot inside. He only allowed that privilege to what he trusted most, which meant family, his armor and sword from the first war, a handful of his advisers, and Aragorn- who he considered family. Several antiques littered the room as well, and scrolls, but each held a special meaning to him. She knew it must have annoyed Elrond to let the Prince enter his confidence on the matter of her true nature, as well as his private chambers, but thankfully he looked past it in order to settle their disagreement.

Another thing that clued her in to the fact that she was in trouble currently though, was the sound of the two arguing elves above her.

"I do not question my father's judgment often, nor do I question yours when I see you, but your little plan will never work!" She quickly recognized the voice as Legolas. "She is to be the ruler of the humans, yet she is raised by male elves? Do you know how easily she can be blind-sided? Sure, her weaponry skills are bound to be immaculate, but I doubt she knows very much about what happens beyond what she learned in your realm, and what she may have stumbled upon in her travels!" He scorned.

"It was not my plan, her mother wished it so! And as I told you, Prince of Mirkwood, mankind does not take well to the leadership of a woman, especially on the battlefield! Do you know many foolish humans I had to deal with in the first war because they would not follow the words of any female elves I had in command? I know things have not changed so quickly." Elrond was practically roaring at the top of his voice already booming voice, causing the tapestries on the wall to rattle and the pottery to quake on their stands.

At that moment, Aragorn decided it would be best for her health if she were to continue her fake sleep. Was it really that good of an idea to get in between two warring immortals?

"You make good points, my Lord, but there are still problems with forcing someone into becoming something they are not meant to be!"

"Oh, do not make this about yourself, Legolas!" Elrond snapped. "Every elf from here to the ocean knows of your aversion to your father's crown!"

Aragorn swore he heard Legolas grit his teeth at the comment. "I am not talking about myself and you know it!" There was the sound of something being slammed onto Elrond's antique table. "What if her secret is revealed? One thing the people would hate more than a female ruler would be one that lies! Why, she would be stripped of her title and hanged, if not something worse!"

"Stop being so over dramatic Legolas. We will cross that bridge when we- _if_ we come to it."

"Ah, but you plan on leaving soon! Do you just plan on seeing that Aragorn makes her ascension to the throne and jump on the first ship out before she receives the consequences of the _many_ lies you forced her to tell?" He let out a mocking laugh. "Sure, maybe her people will be blind enough to think she is a man, but what next?" He strutted back and forth across the room in mock thought. "There is that special point in all royalty's life where they... have to produce an heir? I am sure the people will be rather upset if their king has no intentions of having at least one."

"Arrangements can be made." Elrond said uncomfortably. It was rather obvious that such a thought had never crossed his mind.

Aragorn's heart stopped for a moment at the insinuation. She hoped their elf ears couldn't hear it.

"And when she is nearing birth? How will she explain the weight gain and loss? Where would the mother be? Why, this all sounds like quite a scandal!" Aragorn could hear the sneer in his voice. "Above all, heavens forbid the poor girl actually fall in love with someone! How would the people take to seeing their king with a man!" Legolas actually chuckled at the thought of it. "If the people under her rule think she is a little... 'bent' shall we say, they will be even more offended than if they knew the truth! Once again, the story ends with our king tethered up, or with her head lopped off. Not a good story to tell your grandchildren in the Gray Heavens, is it?"

Much to Aragorn's surprise, Elrond laughed heartily at this comment. "There have been Kings as well as Stewards for the race of men who were… extremely enthusiastic about the men that they served, shall I say? Sure there was talk, but never were they _killed_. Especially not if the guard did its job."

Once again, Legolas sighed before starting in with his rebuttal. "They may not have been killed then, but this is a time of chaos and uncertainty. They will try to destroy anything different if they think it has brought them even the slightest bad luck. A ruler as different as your Aragorn is bound to be the first on the chopping block before anything else. Also, I am sure she will threaten many other rulers with her claims. They will spread as much gossip as possible to end her in any means necessary."

Aragorn didn't even know what had happened when she was suddenly grabbed by Elrond and dragged out of the comfort of his bed to stand beside him. He must have noticed her sudden conscious breathing and approached. She hadn't heard him while being so lost, deep within her own thoughts. "Stop faking sleep, Aragorn. It is unbecoming when there are problems to deal with." He scolded in a fatherly tone with a slight smile before patting her on the shoulder encouragingly.

Aragorn nodded her head, trying to catch her balance. "Sorry."

"It doesn't matter in the least whether she is faking her sleep or faking her death, Elrond. A child would easily see through this scheme you have put together."

Even Aragorn shrank back at the glare Elrond sent Legolas's way. "Obviously one has! You gave Estel a panic attack! Was that absolutely necessary?"

Surprisingly to Aragorn, the blonde showed no signs of being bothered by Elrond's stern brow. Legolas simply waved him off and shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance. "She was being stubborn. She wouldn't have admitted it any other way, but that's beside the point." He turned his gaze to Aragorn for the first time since she had awoken, "Never ask someone to _show_ you 'why they think you are a girl,' and never let someone suspicious of you be alone in the same room as you." He shuttered in disgust at the thought, making Aragorn suddenly enraged for a reason she was uncertain about. "I am an elf, so I do have morals, but men have no morals, especially when they are on the battlefield away from their wives. They would honestly look at _anything_ twice." He quipped, and Aragorn immediately caught what he meant in the barbed comment, biting her cheek to stop herself from cursing at him in front of Elrond. She would hold herself to a higher standard

Obviously the elf thought that because he was pure, unadulterated elf he was better than she was in brain, brawn, and beauty. Aragorn had heard tell of the Elfking Thranduil being somewhat bigoted, but she had rather hoped she was never going to have to meet anyone in their immediate family.

Elrond looked between the two uncertainly as he noted that Aragorn looked as though she were ready to pull her dagger from her belt. He suddenly became extremely suspicious of what occurred just before he threw the door open.

"Think of what I did simply as one of the many lessons Elrond neglected to teach you. If a man ever were to find out he will use you, and cast you aside like you didn't even matter." Legolas said with a flick of his braid. Elrond had a feeling that whatever the elfling had done to Aragorn was a 'lesson' he would have never taught to someone he considered his daughter judging by the rage and embarrassment reflecting off her flamed features. "What I did was innocent and light compared to what another being with fouler intentions might plan. Such as a man." He seemed to justify himself, giving a curt nod to the future 'King of Men.'

She growled at him, "What exactly were your intentions then?" She had to ball her fists at her sides to help her from lashing out at the creature before her. Really, she had no clue what any of the stuff he did meant to her even, but it felt… secret and private, even though it was extremely embarrassing and she would swear to the Valar that she hated every second of it. He however, seemed to dismiss the entire encounter as though it were nothing more than a casual… she really didn't even have anything to compare it to! She was just so dumbstruck by his audacity.

"Hmmm… to get you to stop lying to yourself and to me. For a moment I was actually convinced that you thought yourself a man!" He shook his head with a chuckle and looked back at Elrond. "It is extremely obnoxious when people play dumb, because I am never sure if they are actually playing after the first several denials."

"Oh, and seeing as how you are the Prince, Legolas, this really starts things off on a good foot between our two races should I ever take the crown." She said as evenly as she could between her clenched jaws.

"Oh, I really doubt a mortal female will survive the war."

"You were supposed to come straight to me, Legolas!" Elrond interjected, spinning to observe at Aragorn's enraged form closer, which simply turned to shock at the elf's last comment. "And is this true, Estel? You asked him to show you why he believed you were a girl?" He had a horrible feeling he knew where this all was headed, but he was going to try to ignore it.

She shot the blonde prince a look before admitting, "Well, I thought that I could learn from mistakes I made- like if it was how I walked or held myself?" She took a deep breath and looked away from Elrond's imploring eyes before continuing, "I… I really didn't think about the consequences of my question, Lord Elrond. I just was looking for a quick solution to my problem."

"That isn't the way a king should think!" Elrond snapped at her, causing her to wince and reel back at the harshness in his tone. She was surprised that all of Rivendell didn't know of their dispute by now with how they all were carrying on.

She relaxed when she heard him sigh. When she looked up at the weary old elf, she noticed that he was massaging the bridge of his nose, trying to calm his heightening nerves. "What then?" he queried, sounding much older and tired than he usually did. His voice matched the décor of the room spectacularly.

Just as Aragorn opened her mouth to regale her mentor on the events of earlier- with a rather large amount of enthusiasm and several fabricated facts to ensure the lord's rage would be redirected at Legolas- a hand clamped down on her mouth, sufficiently silencing and nearly suffocating her. It was no surprise to her that the hand belonged to the one and only Legolas, who had swiftly and silently crossed the room when no one was looking.

"Oh, it was honestly nothing, Sir!" He said to the seemingly meditating Lord. His head snapped back to stare at Aragorn incredulously when she indignantly licked his palm.

Nobody won that battle. While he did pull his hand away and wipe it furiously on his tunic, her mouth was filled with the bitter flavor of pine sap.

Aragorn's sudden splutter woke the elder elf from his thoughts. He eyed the quarreling two for a moment, before shaking his head and looking away from them again, turning his back. "I am going to accept that I don't want to know what happened before I arrived." Giving up, he ran his hand through the length of his hair. He knew that questioning the two would only lead to answers that he was nearly certain he did not want to know, especially seeing as how he still needed to be on good terms with the Prince come council meeting. Should he know something that made him… less than pleased with the other elf, he knew it was not beyond him to possibly give bad council. He needed his thoughts to be pure so his words would be pure; else he might be barred from the Grey Havens for indirectly killing an elf with the intent of having done so. "What am I to do with you two?" He mused.

Much to the surprise of everyone in the room, Legolas stepped forward. "Might I make a suggestion, Lord Elrond?" He motioned for the prince to continue without bothering to turn around. "I do not think the young one should have to undertake such a burden. You accuse her of not thinking ahead when you do the same thing! You are sending her to an early death, and she is meant to be blessed with a long life for a human. Free her from this obligation and there might be a way to undo all that you have done."

Elrond spun to face his accuser, face mirroring the full fury of mount doom. "Never have I forced Aragorn into anything," he raged, advancing on the faltering elf. "Yes, she has obligations to her people, but she has always been willing to give things up to help others. And, as for an early death?" Elrond let out a dry laugh. "Don't talk to me about a person dying before their time! I lived through the first war! I saw more elves die by Sauron's sword alone than you have seen your arrows to their mark! I won't stand here while you-"

"Stop!"

Both elves paused in surprise and looked at the only mortal on the room, who seemed to be slightly in shock at her own audacity. When she was sure that they were not going to continue their argument, she stepped in between the lighter and darker haired elves. "This is foolish! There are more important things to be fighting about right now."

"Elrond has taught you how to rule your domain in a country of elves, Aragorn!" Legolas spat. "You have no clue what the real world of men is like. I saw humans executed for less in the lands bordering our own!"

She just looked at Legolas tiredly. "I have not been made king, nor have I accepted kingship. I did not know that the path before me would be this hard, and honestly I never knew I had not been forced into this, Elrond." She eyed the dark-haired elf before continuing, letting her words settle in the air. "The more I listen to you both, the less I think I will be a good leader."

"You can't simply stop being who you are, Aragorn. You were born into your position and you are the only one who can fulfill it." Elrond tried, but Aragorn was done with the conversation.

"I will help with what I can then, because I am a Ranger. I will join your council in the morning, but do not expect a king, because I have always doubted I would make a very good ruler and this conversation just proves it." She moved to leave.

"Wait!" Elrond bellowed before she could reach the door to the chambers, "If that is your final word on the matter?"

"Yes, it is."

He nodded, "Very well!" He clapped his hands as if he gave up the whole situation. "Legolas, for single-handedly causing the damnation of this world, you are going to follow Aragorn wherever she goes. Because you seem to know so much about the mortals, you are to protect her true identity from them. Most of all," He crossed the distance to stand nose to nose with the younger elf, "You are going to keep her alive long enough to become king, because she will be king, Legolas! I have worked too hard to just let this go."

"You can't tell me what to do, Lord Elrond." Both Legolas and Aragorn cried out in fury, looking at the other in shock when they realized this was something they actually agreed on.

Elrond nodded solemnly before turning back to his writing desk. "Why, you are right, Prince Legolas. In fact, I should send you back to your father right away with Glorfindel as a guide. You could finally become king and lead your people though this time of war. It is about time that your father stepped down."

"Fine!" Legolas growled turning away from Lord and crossing his arms in defiance, mustering up as much dignity as he could manage.

Elrond rounded on Aragorn next, and she gave a quiet gulp, but for him it must have sounded like a roar of thunder. He smiled sweetly at her. "My darling Estel, I really am trying my hardest here. You must understand me; you are the only person who can unite the peoples of the world. I know I must seem like a horrible person for trying to force this upon you, but if you don't take your rightful place as ruler of the realm then Sauron will, or someone who does not have pure intentions for the people. Being a woman and a fighter you can nurture, heal, and fight."

Legolas watched their interaction out of the corner of his eyes and was slightly shocked at how loving the Lord was to someone who wasn't even his own child, nor was she an elf. He had hardly ever received that form of a heart-to-heart from his own father before. He attributed that to his father often being gone to battle orcs and spiders. When he was present he was in a constant state of rule, always prepared for an interruption in their mealtime to inform them the borders had been breached. In many ways Legolas admired his father for that level of devotion to his people, but when he saw what normal families looked like it hurt.

Elrond paused and reached out a hand to rest it on her cheek sorrowfully. He hated to see the look of distrust in her eyes. "You are this world's only hope, why else would I have named you Estel?" He grabbed both sides of her face before she could struggle and planted a soft, paternal kiss on her forehead before letting go so fast that she nearly thought she imagined it.

"Just promise me you will follow the lessons I taught you, and let your heart guide you to your people. They will follow. I have seen it."

She nodded uncertainly before he dismissed them. "Begone, the both of you. I have enough preparations to deal with now that the council meeting is set for tomorrow." He waved them off before calling back, "Oh, and Legolas?"

Legolas hesitated uncertainly at the door while Aragorn just shrugged and walked on. "Yes, Lord Elrond?"

"If I find you leave Aragon's side once during the trials to come? I understand full well that an elf who kills another immortal will not be able to pass to the Grey Havens," He crossed the room to stand completely in front of the other. "Do not hinder me from being able to see my wife again, because if you let any harm come to Aragorn in any way shape or form I will hunt you down. I will go into the deepest dwarf tunnel to find you if you hide, drag you out, and I will make it worth my while for not being able to join my wife and children in Valinor," Elrond leaned closer, his voice a dangerous purr, much different to the angered roar Legolas was receiving earlier, and some how much more frightening.

He gave a bumbling nod, rearing his head back at the uncomfortable intensity of the Lord's stare. "Yes, Lord Elrond. I will do my best."

Elrond's scowl bored into his eyes for several seconds longer before he shook his head and turned around to the scrolls on his desk. "You may enjoy the hospitality of my home until the meeting tomorrow. Your fate will be decided with hers."

Legolas nodded mutely and awaited no further instructions. He turned and ran from the protective Lord before he could change his mind on the matter.

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Don't mess with Elrond's family. Ever. They make it a habit of seeking retribution. Or should I say_ Hobbit!_ He makes it a hobbit! Get it! Hahaha... ha...ha.

Oh well. Never mind.

Next chapter will have Aragorn confronting Legolas, along with Legolas informing Aragorn about a thing or two, so don't be too mad. They will grow on eachother. You go on a quest and nearly die for each other, of course they learn to like each other, they just had a rather rocky start.

Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

4. An Uncomfortable Misunderstanding

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Once again, I would like to thank everyone for their reviews! You people are awesome! Enjoy!

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It was bright and cheery in Elrond's fair city. The elves sang from the treetops songs of merriment accompanied with choruses of laughter, and the sun that beamed down from the leaves was more beautiful than all the gold in Erebor.

Legolas found all the extravagant glamor unsettling. It irritated him that the elves of Rivendell seemed comfortable with this excess of merriment when there was so much death in the world.

All the frivolity made him want to scream at the first native elf he came across. His home was not nearly as warm or jovial, nor did he believe it ever had the chance considering how close it was to the enemy.

Once a long time ago, Mirkwood was called Greenwood by all who passed its borders. It too was beautiful and verdant. It also may have had elves swinging from branches, singing bright songs at the tops of their melodic voices...

But, as was stated, that was a _long_ time ago. Those stories passed into legend for all but the elves. The few mortals who believed the myth had wrongly accused the Elvenking's greed of cursing the dense forest with its sickness. Thranduil was actually one of the few forces preventing the trees from dying.

At the state things were currently, Mirkwood was a dark place where decay and overgrowth ran rampant. When songs were sung, it was as a child's lullaby to sooth it to sleep during a long, harsh night filled with orc raids and spider hisses. Songs were sung when they mourned the dead, or the long forgotten. Songs were hardly ever sung out of happiness in his forest, for there was little to be happy about.

Just a few years ago, at the time of the fall of the dragon Gandalf was able to banish the darkness from the forests of their home. It seemed a miracle at the time, but now they knew the truth. The evil was always waiting nearby, biding its time, watching for the best moment to pounce. Hardly any time had passed for the Elves of Mirkwood as they began to nurture their forest back to a natural state. Travelers still didn't dare to step within the foliage to reach the men or dwarves on the other side. They would have much rather braved the long walk around the weather-beaten, gnarled trees. Even the elves were uncertain of leaving their stronghold after so many years of battle and strife. They had become so use to danger that the peace was a foreign concept.

It was really for the best in the end. One mistake and the darkness would crash down around them worse than they had ever witnessed in the depths of their forests before.

Rivendell, however, was blessed with being far from most threats. By the time the elves of Legolas's forests whittled down the foes' numbers they would have to pass many other armies before winding up on Elrond's doorstep.

The elves that lived there seemed happy living in a realm of peace and prosperity. Most of them had escaped to his house as a retreat from the pain in the world. They knew it was selfish, and they knew another war was upon them, but they had been shaken and broken by the wars past. Elrond healed more than broken bodies, or at least he tried.

Legolas did not understand all the happiness, though. He did not want to understand it, especially after being threatened by the great healer himself. He did not know if he was terrified or angry. He wanted to lash out at the first thing he came across, mostly because of the embarrassment of it all. He knew that breaking something would do little to solve his problems. In fact, he was willing to bet it would only increase them.

He needed to take a walk. That was the only thing he could think of that wouldn't be destructive and could help him clear his racing mind. Shooting arrows was never something to do when the mind was clouded, as his teacher told him time and time again when he was an elfling. He would never harm someone as a person of his level of skill, but if he missed the bull's-eye he would only become more frustrated and irate with his predicament.

It only took him a little while to stumble upon where the gardens were kept, and thankfully for him the singing was gone. He wasn't sure if he had simply outrun it, or if they had stopped but he really didn't care. He was just glad for his moments reprieve. It was almost mocking in his opinion. Didn't they know there was a war going on beyond their borders?

He let his tense shoulders relax, leaning on a tree to breath in the sweet smell of sap it secreted when-

"Ah-Hahahaha!"

A chorus of laughter erupted from just beyond a hedge of rose bushes nearby. Legolas eyed it wearily; uncertain of what could lie just on the other side. For all he knew it could start singing again.

"Oh, you should have seen the look on Elladan's face when I said that! It was priceless, Arie!"

From what Legolas could discern, the first voice was distinctly female, and elvish if he was not mistaken. She definitely sounded pleasing enough to his ears to be an elf.

"Arwen... please stop making nicknames for me? It's embarrassing..."

The second one sounded like a... young human male? The voice was still relatively high, but also somewhat pleasing on the ears in an odd way. It was hard to pinpoint exactly, but Legolas was sure he knew it.

There was another bout of flirtatious chuckles that made Legolas want to gag and he wasn't even watching. It most definitely belonged to the elven woman.

"You are so cute when you are embarrassed, though," she purred. "What will I do when you leave?"

There was an uncomfortable pause. Legolas suddenly felt like he was intruding on something that he really shouldn't have. These two seemed... close.

"You can continue embarrassing your twin brothers?" The lower voice continued just as Legolas made to turn away, catching his attention once more. He narrowed his eyes at the hedge uncertainly. He knew that voice, didn't he?

He heard a jostling of leaves on the other side of the division. "But you are a mortal!" She continued, confirming Legolas's previous suspicions. "What if you die? I could not bear to lose you... And," she chuckled slightly, "though I would hate to lose them, I do not care for my brothers the way I care for you..."

Legolas finally grew too curious for his own good and began circling around to the other side of the rosebush. The sight that met him was... well, it took all his years of self-control to maintain a visage of indifference when looking upon the two star-crossed 'lovers.'

The two, as Legolas had suspected, were mortal and elf, but with one minor problem. The second voice he overheard was Aragorn. Apparently she could fake a fairly decent man's voice so long as nobody looked at her closely, because the elf she was with seemed quite enamored with her boyish charm.

The other person confessing their undying (almost literary from an elf's view of the matter) love was the most beautiful elf Legolas had ever seen before. He could only guess that she was Elrond's daughter, which made the situation that much worse. They had used her name in the conversation, and he would be an idiot not to know the lord's daughter was named Arwen.

Arwen had her face contorted into a look of pure bliss as she wrapped her arms around Aragorn's midsection, squeezing his- or should he say _her-_ back tightly to her breast and seemingly in no rush to let go. They were both sitting on a lovely stone bench in the middle of the most romantic garden setting. Any girl would have loved to be proposed to in such a secluded area, which Legolas had no doubt Arwen was trying to talk Aragorn into.

Aragorn looked as though she had been attempting to stand when Arwen lunged for the embrace, because her hands were awkwardly trapped by her side, white-knuckling the bench while her rear-end was hovering just above the carved stone. Her face was a laughable shade of white, and her eyes were wider than he'd even seen them before.

Despite all of Legolas's emotional control he was still left slightly flushed at the embarrassing scene that seemed to be unfolding before him. He quickly covered his face with one hand to hide his amusement, crossing the other arm over his chest in support. He continued to look at the two women in twisted delight.

Almost instantly Aragorn's eyes found him, begging him for help that she was fairly certain he would not give.

"Aragorn, I-" Arwen started. Both Aragorn and Legolas cringed, knowing the words to follow would undoubtedly be_ love you._

"There you are!" Legolas interrupted for the sakes of both Arwen, whose eyes opened immediately and looked rather bashful at being found, and Aragorn, who heaved a light sigh of relief.

"Elrond sent me to find you, Aragorn! Out in the gardens," Legolas pretended to chide." Wooing beautiful maids, no less!" At this Aragorn shot him a nasty, red-faced glare. The flaxen-haired elf just laughed it off. "I should have known."

Legolas was surprised that Elrond had not told his own children of Aragorn's secret, but it was none of his business. It was also not his fault that Arwen was falling madly in love with a being that was neither her race, nor her gender and she hadn't a clue. It was Elrond's deception, so Elrond would answer for this one.

The thought made Legolas laugh slightly to himself as he watched the slightly put-out elleth retreat from the gardens, trying to maintain all dignity and grace while nursing her wounded pride at being stumbled upon in her private garden. She had to march past him to do so, though.

He had no doubt the beauty would make Elrond pay for her embarrassment once she learned of Aragorn's true nature. Hopefully, if things were explained to her at length she would not blame Aragorn. She seemed old enough not to cast judgment until she knew everything. Love seemed a different matter, though.

Once Legolas was certain they were alone he turned back to the girl in men's clothing. "You seem quite the hot commodity in Imladris. Why, if I had one as beautiful as she clamoring for my attention in my home I would not hesitate!" The elf chortled, stepping further into the small clearing.

Aragorn finally found her voice, snapping her head up at the elf who seemed to prowl like a mountain cat as he approached her, a malevolent glint lighting in his eyes. "She is my friend!" her voice hissed like the soft ocean waves, seemingly drawing Legolas closer without his knowing. "Do not talk about her in such a foul manner!"

"Just friends, hm?" Legolas slowly eased himself on the bench as far away from Aragorn as he could as not to threaten her. He made sure to maintain eye contact the entire time, as though they were playing for some sort of nonverbal dominance. As an elf, he could do this till she fatigued, but he decided to let her have this small victory as he looked away to observe a wilting flower on the bush and pluck it. "Does _she_ know you are only friends?"

He turned to look back just in time to witness a panicked look cross Aragorn's features. "Thought not," he said breezily.

"How _dare_ you!" Aragorn howled, jumping to her feet in a fit of sudden rage. "You come here, insult me, assault me, and now you insult my friends!" Her eyes darkened. "As though my life weren't hard enough before, you also found a way to insult Elrond to the point that he has stuck you in the same boat as me!" She turned away from the elf who hadn't even looked at her during her entire attempt at scolding while she towered over his still seated form. He was content marveling over the dead rose with a smirk that grew with each escalation of her fury.

"Just because I have to follow you till you die or take the throne does not mean I am in the same boat as you." His smile widened until each perfect tooth shone bright in his amusement. "I will not be forced to wear a dress while you are forced to wear breaches."

"I honestly never want to see your ugly face again." She growled through gritted teeth as she took labored breaths to calm herself.

"Lie." Legolas chirped, tossing the rose to the side and nearly running into Aragorn seeing as how she had hardly moved from the bench. His torso was centimeters from her back. Obviously, he was exactly where he wanted to be, while Aragorn was just too stubborn to move.

She tensed, remembering what had happened last time the elf was out of her line of vision. So help her, if he did it again she _would_ tell Elrond. She closed her eyes, breath suddenly becoming shaky and uneven. "What? What are you saying-" She jumped forwards like she had been burned, spinning to glower at him when his hand brushed her shoulder.

He chuckled at her reaction, hand still raised to where he had been reaching for her. He rose an eyebrow curiously. "Skittish?"

"Don't touch me. Last time you touched me I regretted it." She mumbled, recalling the cruel words he spouted to Elrond. She didn't care in what manner he had been planning to touch her in, but she had no intentions of being toyed with.

Legolas sighed over-dramatically, taking a step forwards and placing the back of his hand to his forehead in mock distress. "What ever shall I do if I am not able to caress my sweet, mortal King and let _him_ know all is well in the world! Why, I might just Fade to nothing!"

Aragorn swiftly kicked the elf in the shin and was obnoxiously unsatisfied when he didn't even seem jolted. "Why did you say I was lying?" She ground out, getting back to her original question at hand.

Legolas's smile blossomed. "Well, that's obvious, isn't it? You called me ugly and you said you never wanted to see me again. The first part of your exclamation is obviously false. I am an elf. Our kind doesn't come in 'ugly.'" Legolas shrugged. "If you ever saw my face again you would not be seeing my 'ugly face,' seeing as how I do not have anything ugly to present being an elf." He stated everything so simply, like it was a fact that Aragorn simply must have overlooked. The worst part was, he was right. Elves were nearly flawless.

Slack-jawed, Aragorn just looked at the elf in utter befuddlement and awe. "You twist my words too much. I do not want to see you again until the meeting tomorrow." She turned to stride out of the garden.

"I knew you wanted to see me!" Legolas proclaimed wickedly at her retreating form. "What about your _Friend_? Do you wish to see her?"

Aragorn stopped in her tracks, having completely forgotten about the predicament he had found her in. She spun around again and began pacing frantically. "Oh! May the Valar smite me where I stand!" She cursed. "Do you really think she likes me more than- We are practically family!"

Legolas nodded, despite the fact that the woman refused to look at him. "I think you know too, you just do not want to admit it. You may not want my council, but I will give it to you anyway." He reclaimed his seat on the stone bench, this time choosing to recline with no-one else sharing his space. "Tell her what you truly are. Elves hardly ever find someone with whom they would like to share the rest of their life with. She has mistaken you for that someone, and it will be extremely painful for her when she finds out. Painful, but bearable the longer her mind and heart dwells on you, the harder it might be for her to find another."

Aragorn stopped her pacing and looked at the elf uncertainly. This was the first time the elf seemed to speak to her kindly, and with good intentions.

Legolas smiled at this, seeing as how she seemingly already forgot her words from earlier of 'not wanting to see him.' He chopped it up to shortened lives and shortened memories.

"She has been my first true friend, Legolas." She frowned. "What if she hates me? She has been the only woman who has ever talked to me without cringing in disgust."

Legolas's brow furrowed, "Why would they cringe?"

"I could get pretty ratty looking during my travels." She grimaced.

The elf groaned. "Lovely! Something I get to look forwards to as your babysitter." Then his head snapped back at the warrior before him, taking in the ratty, dark cloak, and the armor with the star on the breast. He hadn't noticed that she had changed into her armor while he took his time wandering the halls of Elrond's home, but now that he took it in he instantly recognized it from what seemed like ages ago. His eyes narrowed as he stepped closer, trying to break down her facial structure and how it may have appeared years ago.

Aragorn scowled at him, turning away and crossing her arms. Her face heated at the sudden scrutiny. "I did not ask for your company on the roads ahead. Please, if you have better things to attend to, be my guest."

Legolas waved his hand impatiently. "Ignore that!" He snapped. "You have been to Mirkwood before, haven't you?" Legolas was delighted, snapping his fingers at the elusive thought. "Now I know why I did not recognize you instantly! Last time we met you had been tracking that creature, Gollum, for days! You were quite a sorry sight standing before my father, begging for him to lock the raving monster away. We nearly locked you both away had he not showed his true colors and tried to bite several of the guard."

Aragorn frowned and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "So the mud really does make a difference, does it?" She murmured, trying to change the subject. She really hated her time spent tracking that creature. It was not her finest adventure, though it was very long.

"That and the fact that you had not quite grown into your feminine features yet!" He guffawed. "As I remember you seemed to look not quite a boy and not yet a man. Either way though, you looked unfortunately soft for a male child of the human race. I found it odd how such a young, human boy could join the rangers, yet be such an accomplished tracker. I was even surprised that you were known for riding with the sons of Elrond at the time."

Aragorn paused, flushing slightly in embarrassment and annoyance at how he had underhandedly complemented her in such a way that she wasn't sure if she should be insulted. He said she looked like a man and a boy- which would be rude to say to a woman, as he knew her to be. He also said she had grown into feminine features- which was rude to say to a man, as he knew she was trying to pretend to be. He also complimented her accomplishments. That really hadn't seemed like a rude thing to say, but there must have been some meaning behind it.

"Well," She finally managed, "I will take that as a compliment." She composed herself by coughing into her hand briefly while rearranging her cloak and armor and nodding towards the elf.

Ignoring her irritated tone, Legolas hoisted himself up onto his feet and walked over to the angered ranger. He decided revert back to the matter at hand. "I am sure Arwen will at least try to understand once she calms. If she does not, then her father will have to reap what he has sewn, but do not worry about friendship now when so little is certain in the world." He reached out to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. His heart ached for her in an odd way. She was not meant to be so confused. In the real world friendships were not so multi-sided as hers was with Arwen.

"Don't even." Aragorn growled, turning her head just in time to see the hand. It was like she had sensed it. "I said no touching, and I mean it."

She stormed off in the direction of the house, not bothering to pause as she called over her shoulder, "And I still do not want to see you until the meeting tomorrow." She knew his elf ears would not fail him.

And they didn't. He stood in the rose garden, curiosity slightly piqued by the mortal named Aragorn as she made her way to the Hall of Fire, hoping to find Arwen and her father to get the whole mess sorted out. The look of determination stayed firm on her features, causing several elves she passed to pause in their routine and watch her form as she marched down the hall.

~0~

Elrond had retired in the hall of fire shortly after conversing with Aragorn and Legolas. Things had quickly become quite a mess, so all he wanted was to relax for a moment with a nice drink, a warm place by the fire, and a beautiful song to sooth his heightening nerves. The coming day was bound to be just as bad as the one before, so it would do him little good to lose his head completely.

So, he was rather haggard and worn, looking into the depths of the fire when Arwen happened upon him. There were others in the hall, but they stayed far away from Elrond, knowing it was never a good idea to approach the stewing Lord unless you were close kin.

"Adar, may I speak to you of something of grave importance?" She asked, snapping the great lord out of his reverie.

He instantly looked upon her face and mustered a week smile. "Of course. What would you like to discuss?"

He made a motion to a chair by the fire, but she remained standing, a large grin growing on her features. "Adar, I think I gave my heart to someone."

"That is wonderful news." Elrond sat straighter in his chair. "Who is the lucky elf that won my daughter's affections?"

She blushed with embarrassment, continuing in a hushed tone as not to let the others in the hall accidentally pick up their conversation. "He is actually a mortal."

It was perfect timing, really, that Aragorn rushed into the hall at that moment. It was horrible timing that the Elvish song Elbereth began weaving its way through the halls.

Elrond rose from his chair, the fire casting a dark glow over his sharp features. In his moment of anger he had mistakenly guessed the owner of his daughter's heart was Boromir, the only true man he had recently let in his home. Aragorn was far from his mind as his daughter's suitor seeing as how he knew of her true gender. The thought hadn't even passed his mind.

"You will not wed that _fool!" _Elrond stormed, the ferocity in his voice caused even the flames to leap in fright. Boromir may have been a very handsome, strong warrior, but he was too firm in his beliefs. HE was always right. Sometimes that kind of conviction was a good thing, but other times it slowed down progress to the right path. Elrond could tell he would be trouble soon.

Aragorn winced, but hastened forward despite the looks of insanity she was earning from around the room. "Perhaps we should find someplace else to talk?" She suggested lamely. She shrunk back slightly at the withering glare Elrond sent her way, but she held her ground. She was certain there was some misunderstanding. If Elrond suspected _she_ was the one her daughter adored he wouldn't have been so enraged. He would have simply told his daughter the truth.

"This is none of your business,_ Aragorn." _Elrond hissed, turning back to Arwen. He attempted to soften his features, but his smile was still forced and terse. "When were you planning on telling me, Arwen? Just as we were leaving for Valinor?"

"I do believe I just told you, haven't I?" She retorted, eyes suddenly brimming with tears. It was obnoxious how Elves could look beautiful, even when crying. Humans looked disgusting with how their faces puckered and eyes squinted. "I thought you would be happy for me." She turned away from her father and launched herself into Aragorn's comforting arms.

Aragorn uncertainly patted her friend's back while looking at Elrond uncertainly.

The Elf Lord just stood there as sudden realization washed over him. He looked at the warrior and maiden as they clung to each other, almost speechless when he lost sight of Aragorn's face as her bangs trickled down her cheeks. One might mistake them for a man and woman if they didn't know.

And then he realized that Arwen was one of the many that didn't know.

He fell back into his seat, gazing anxiously into the flames. "Arwen, I must speak with you concerning your- ahem- love." Elrond spoke, all of his anger diminishing. "Perhaps it is best to speak after the council, when nerves are... not as high strung and some of the guests have left."

Elrond ran his hand over his face in horror. He would have preferred his daughter thought she loved Boromir! It was better than her thinking she loved Aragorn.

She was going to kill him.

Hopefully Aragorn would be long gone by the time he and his daughter finally found the time to sit down and discuss the matter. If she was then things might really get out of hand.


	5. Chapter 5

5. The Council

**All lotr is owned by TOLKIEN, BTW! I own nothing but my clothes.**

**I love you all! Sorry for the wait, but there was traveling, birthdays, and I even moved.**

**As a response to one of you lovely reviewers Yes! :) I am going to try to follow this through all the way to the end of the third book, which means that it will be long. I will add it in parts, or cut out parts as I go. I also might post this story in two separate parts (Part one and two, but with more creative titles) to help with the length of it, but I am still debating on that.**

**Also, I am trying to reread the books as I go, as not to stray to far from the orc beaten path. If you realize I am doing something that is not following the book, chances are I know that I am doing it. Just shaking things up, but I doubt I will do it too often... just depends on what tickled my muse that day I guess :D**

**On with the story!**

* * *

Legolas smiled his most gallant, broad lipped smile as soon as Aragorn stumbled into the meeting area and glanced uneasily his way. He took in her haggard appearance, along with the fact that she had not changed out of her rather worn armor and quickly assessed that she hadn't slept that night.

It was too bad in Legolas's opinion. She looked much better the night before in the gardens.

Because of a midnight jaunt through the forest she suddenly had a layer of thin dust coating her chin, both cheeks, and almost strategically smeared over her upper lip in a rather unattractive way for a lady. He suspected that it must have happened when she attempted to sleep on the forest floor and the dust stuck to her perspiring features. Who wouldn't be sweaty under all that armor? He could only guess that she smeared it there with her own arm by accident seeing as how her cape was just has filthy.

Dirt speckled her face and twigs littered he short hair, but she didn't seem to notice or care. Then again, while it did make her look less presentable than most of the other people in the room, Legolas had to admit that it helped her look slightly more masculine. Honestly though, anything could do that in his opinion.

Nobody gave her a second look either. She was a known Ranger, and Rangers were known for being men of little means- even if she was not truly a man. Sure, Rangers knew few comforts in life, but they protected many of people who lived happy, blissful lives because of their sacrifices. Never would they hear a thanks for their services, and they seemed all the happier for it. If a person knew to thank them, then in a Ranger's opinion they were not doing their job right. They tried their best to ensure the people lived happy lives, unknowing of the true dangers that hunted on the outskirts of their homes. Rangers enabled those people to live a few more blissful days of ignorance under their unknown, unasked for, but very needed protection.

Sadly, this meant that when they were seen in towns they were often mistaken as beggars and vagabonds, and even jeered at. They were oddly enough fine with this treatment. Thinking a broke man was simply passing through town was much better than the cold truth behind why the Ranger stopped in the town, which often had to do with a horrid monster that would no doubt incite panic should the town learn the truth. If people wished to think their being there was harmless begging they simply kept their mouths shut. After all, nobody talked to a beggar about important business or asked them questions. In fact, they were ignored.

Being a Ranger was actually very hard, but it was all Aragorn knew. Being a King was bound to be much harder with the added disadvantage of not being able to fight combat as often once she took her 'rightful place.' She would not know what to do should she be offered a thanks for her services seeing as how she had never been thanked before. People would also not mistake her for a beggar when she went out, which might be both a plus and a minus.

She immediately straightened her back and averted eye-contact with all others in the room, seeking the seclusion of the rear corner. It was dark, and she hoped nobody would see or bother her there if she attempted to look intimidating enough.

She didn't exactly look friendly that morning, so it wasn't going to be a hard sell. She had not gotten a wink of sleep by the time she realized the next day had arrived and the sun's rays rose over the far mountain and filtered through the early morning mist, reflecting off of the dewdrops like elegant golden pearls. Had the Dwarfs been with her, even they would have marveled at the beauties of nature for a moment until they realized it was not as tangible as it first seemed. She just wished she had the night to do over again.

Guard duties had been miserable, which was an unpleasant surprise for Aragorn. She had planned to patrol Imladris's borers as a simple excuse to escape the unwanted advances of Arwen. After she comforted the her, Arwen took that as a sign as something more and nearly spent the whole night chattering her ear off.

It was at that moment that she wished she_ hadn't _told Legolas she didn't want to see him till the meeting. Surely he could have 'happened' upon them again and stopped the nonsense!

Thankfully, Elrond offered her an escape when he found his daughter in the Hall of Fire an hour after their discussion, clinging to poor Aragorn like a climbing vine. The border guard tended to be a simple position in Imladris, especially with the added protection of Elrond's ring. Elrond simply sent Aragorn away in hopes that it would give him time to talk to his daughter alone without her cooing over the human.

Sadly, his plan backfired when Arwen stormed out of the room, upset that her father sent her 'love' away. She was convinced that he was against their 'union.'

After hearing the confessions, Elrond buried his palms as deep into his eyes as they could go, wishing he could just stop this madness.

What had he done?

Far away from the turmoils within Rivendell's borders, Aragorn simply expected to find a nice tree to settle underneath and sleep until morning. What she ended up finding was an orc scout. And another. By the time she killed her third orc she suspected the Wraiths had not taken kindly to being washed down stream and had already contacted their master.

She ended up spending her night actually working instead of sleeping, which was irritating. Arwen had kept her up late into the night a lot recently with her non-stop chatter about anything she had picked up in her unnaturally long life. Now that Legolas pointed out to her that Arwen actually liked her a lot she was embarrassed at how transparent many of the one-sided conversations had been. One of her monologues was a rant about how Elves waited too long to find their love, and if the moment should come along one should pounce on it.

That particular conversation had been brought up often and dragged on past the witching hour for the past four days. As a mortal she really needed her sleep more than the springy, resilient elf woman.

Now that she was in the Council room she planned to simply sit back, listen, comment on matters that pertained to her, and try her hardest not to snore if she happened to fall asleep.

She thankfully made it there before most of the others were called, but soon the bell rang to signal the beginnings of the meeting. The loud gonging chime did little to sooth her nauseating headache, but she made it a point of nodding to each straggler as they entered the doors, acknowledging their existence. She didn't bother smiling until the halfling and wizard waltzed through the door.

Frodo looked rather glad to see her again now that he was past death's clutches, and Gandalf's eyes gleamed with the light of an untold joke. He always looked upon her like that, which made working with the old wizard rather hard, especially when dealing with matters that were far from laughable.

She often suspected he knew she was a woman, but if he did know he never treated her any different for it. He never once voiced his suspicions during any of their travels, and they had many. Instead, he often filled the quiet of their long voyages with the latest Hobbiton gossip. This nonsensical drivel was interrupted rarely, and those sparse moments of peace only seemed possible when the Shire's best pipe weed was involved.

Eventually, Aragorn herself took to carrying around a pipe and the leaves, just in-case she should need to bribe him into silence should he appear. She hadn't done this until recently, for you should never expect the company of a wizard, for they do as they please when they please. She learned rather quickly that this one seemed rather pleased with accompanying her when they 'happened' to cross paths. He even set tasks for her to accomplish during occasional his absences from the Shire. Those absences became more frequent as war began to loom on the horizon, greater and more terrible than before.

If he knew anything about her being a woman, Aragorn suspected Gandalf was treating her like he treated the many things that fascinated him... like hobbits for example.

She had no doubt he had a detailed scroll hidden in the confines of his robes completely dedicated to all the living habits, appetites, social lives, and house types know to hobbit-kind. As he put it, they were funny, little creatures with big hearts and possibly bigger feet. He obviously spent enough time in the shire that he knew most of their customs, and he even attempted to spread them to other cultures on occasion. Much to Aragorn's delight and Gandalf's dismay, it was still frowned upon to eat six extremely large meals a day no matter how hard the wizard tried to convince random tavern owners to change their menus.

Though she found his fascination with the little creatures laughable at times, she hated to think of what he kept notes about when she was concerned. A cross dressing queen for king?

Gandalf never investigated something if he thought it wouldn't be of merit, however. Bilbo was once a magnificent hobbit who played a major part in the events leading up to the fall of the dragon, and he did many notable things after. Aragorn had no doubt that Frodo would play a key role in the events to come, what ever they were to be. If the odd wizard showed an interest in her talent she knew should have felt blessed by the attention- that practically ensured that she would be thrust center stage very soon. That however, was something she found she did not want. As a Ranger, she had no need for attention. In fact, she avoided it at all cost.

The wizard however, seemed to think she was destined for much better with the way his eyes shimmered in appraisal as he gazed at her from across the room. He knew she would be a great leader ever since they tracked Gollum down. She was a natural.

Aragorn nodded kindly back at wizard, growing slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable under his proud eyes. He was eccentric and odd, but he was also one of Aragorn's oldest living friends who wasn't elvish. What he was was another matter entirely, though. Also, He knew very powerful magic when need be, so it was always best to choose when to pick her battles. If he thought she would be a good king, she would let him continue thinking that.

When Elrond called everyone to attention his eyes lingered on Aragorn the longest. He was the only one who was shocked at the Ranger's tatty attire, but he made no comment. He swiftly moved along, knowing if it was of any importance she would bring it up during the meeting.

Aragorn slightly groggy mind was irritated to note that Glóin the dwarf was the first to speak of his peoples growing troubles with the darkness. He spoke of horrible things, such as one of the minions of Sauron threatening his people for information about a 'lesser ring,' which was obviously the ring that Frodo held. Dain was smart not to trust the words of the enemy, even when the offer of safety for his people was tempting. Obviously the information was important, and the ring was far from being 'lesser' if Sauron needed it.

He also spoke of the disappearance of Ballin in the Moria, who went there to colonize nigh on thirty years ago, but they had lost contact. It was hard to listen to his problems considering how fatigued she was, though. His voice was soothing and rough like water sculpted sandstone, or perhaps even a cat's tongue. She soon had to cradle her chin in her hand to prevent it from rudely drooping too often.

"These are grave tidings indeed." Elrond spoke when the dwarf's tale was through, jolting Aragorn from her sleep-like state in surprise. "I know of reason behind Sauron's sudden interest in your people, and of the veil of silence that has fallen over your people. In fact, I am willing to guess that all of you have come to me with problems, yet you know not their origin." He looked around the room to each group of differing peoples, eying them solemnly.

"I will tell you all the tale of this supposed 'lesser ring' that Glóin has spoken of, for I believe that it is the root of our problems, whether it be past, present, or future. This information could unite us or divide us if we let it, so listen and listen well with open minds. Very few know of this item's true origins, but I hope the knowledge will help guide your actions in the days to come."

So, Aragorn listened to the same tale she had heard so many times since her childhood. It was of how Isildur cut the ring from the enemies hand with his own father's broken sword. It was the telling of her forefather's foolishness after the death of his father and brother, refusing the advice of several powerful, wizened Firstborn in order to keep the ring as a wergild.

"His war trophy did little to prevent further bloodshed, sadly." Elrond continued, a sadness leaking into his voice and eyes as he looked into the distance as though recalling memories far beyond anyone else's line of vision. "The ring betrayed Isildur, for it only knows one master and it will do anything reside with him again.

The room was silent as all its occupants struggled to comprehend his words. All of the occupants seemed thoroughly surprised with an exception of the wizard, Aragron, and several of the elves. Even Frodo seemed rather pale, though it was most-likely due to the realization that was finally dawning on him. This was the terrible and dreaded ring that he had been carting around the Shire.

Finally, Boromir found his voice. "Why, these are good tidings indeed, if what you say is true! My people have believed that the ring had been destroyed when Isildur died. If it still exists as you say it does, then we must find it and seek a way to turn it against its master. According to lure it was extremely powerful. To turn it against him may be our only way to gain power over the lands and destroy all the darkness that terrorizes my people."

Elrond sighed and shook his head at Boromir's excitement. "That, young one, is impossible. The craft that Sauron used to make the rings cannot be reversed in the way you speak of. It was never intended to be used for good because it was not made with purity in mind. The ring feeds on good intentions and poisons the mind till they fester and rot to ill will. It takes a being very strong of heart to fight the influences, and nobody should be foolish enough to study the ring that closely with such intentions of turning it. They themselves will become wicked and corrupt after long." Elrond shook his head and waved off Boromir's comment.

Elrond turned towards the small hobbit and beckoned him forth to present the ring to the company. Timidly, Frodo nodded, shuffling forward on slightly unsteady feet. It was obvious that he was still not fully recovered from the morgul blade, but he was doing much better than most would have done after such prolonged exposure to the poison. When his hands finally finished fumbling with the clasps on his pockets, he produced a small golden ring that would have seemed simple had every soul in the room not suddenly paused to consider the great things they might do when wielding a ring with such mighty power.

Even Aragorn, who had little want for power or money, wondered what it would be like to simply to touch it- No, she wanted to hold it or even be so bold as to place it on her finger. She needed to know why Isildur would throw his life away for something so simple as a ring. She needed to understand him to some extent, and to understand why he would so foolishly ruin her family with his one rash decision. Surely the ring was not so powerful that a simple day would drive her mad.

And by the time she realized how far her thoughts had run away with her she felt herself griping the edges of the chair as though she were about to stand. She quickly repositioned herself in order to pass off her near loss of mind as nothing, but as she looked around the room she realized that many of the others were looking at it just as nervously. Many were also shifting uncomfortably under the nearly undetectable aura that it emitted, while others fidgeted and sunk further into their chairs, avoiding eye contact.

"The Last Alliance that was forged during that time never completed its mission." Elrond continued, ignoring the sudden strained silence that settled in the room, using it strategically while Boromir was still in to much shock to put a voice to his numerous thoughts.

"Yes, Sauron fell from power that day, though because his ring remains he may still live on in these lands. The alliance was able to separate it from its master, but we failed to destroy it as should have been. Now, ages later, men continue to populate the world while the Firstborn have still never fully recovered from the casualties of the first wars." Elrond shook is head in sorrow. Aragorn could hear the pain bleeding into his voice as he spoke, for he was obviously remembering the many friends, loved ones, and family members he lost due to war. He may not have looked it, but he was extremely old. "We are a dying race, and the likelihood of another alliance is slim. An alliance like the one of old would be impossible; too few elves exist on these shores."

"But," Boromir murmured, his eyes never leaving the ring while he continued to eye it contemplatively. He was a fair deal braver than most others in the room who had already turned away from it, though it remained to be seen whether that bravery was foolhardy. "But how are we to know that this ring is truly the One Ring? Should it not be with my people in Gondor if Isildur kept it? Should it not rightfully belong with my people since it was Isildur who forced the ring from his finger?"

Elrond eyed the man and ring uneasily, but responded all the same. "The Ring betrayed Isildur to his death. His traveling party was waylaid by a group a of orcs at a bend in the river. They were creatures left over from Sauron's reign who were still loyal to him and knew of who was responsible for his fall. The ring identified Isildur to the attackers, leading to a quicker demise. This is why my people call it 'Isildur's Bane.'" He sighed and leaned back into his chair, a mask of sorrow covering his face. "Only three of all those many men survived the events of that day, and they escaped to Rivendell to deliver the shards of Narsil to Isildur's remaining kin. Isildur had a son who resided here at the time."

Boromir simply scoffed at the words of the elf, obviously thinking he was being cheated out of the glory that the ring seemed to hold. Aragorn quickly spoke up, slightly irritated by the other warrior's pompous attitude. She should have expected it seeing as how one of his greatest boasts from the night they met was how he had never been bested. He obviously didn't know what it was like to be humbled, but seeing as how she was Isildur's heir, her mother had wanted a boy, she was being forced into her kingship, and she had been a spat upon Ranger for most her life she had been extremely humbled. It seemed like there was some grand scheme in her life set out to humble her around every bend, and the recent one had been a certain Woodland Prince.

"If you want to go by who forced it from whose hand, then it should rightfully belong to the orcs, and through them Sauron." She replied to the man calmly, knowing that feeding anger with anger would only feed the argument more. She had dealt with hotheaded warriors before. "Should events have played out how you seem to think it fair, then the free peoples of middle Earth would have perished long ago," Aragorn stated.

Boromir looked at her as though he though she'd gone mad before bursting into guffaws of guttural laughter. "A Ranger preaching about what is fair! How poetic! How has your version of fair treated you thus far, or need I even ask?"

Aragorn frowned, but didn't bother to let her emotions show further than that. Obviously Boromir was agitated with being so far from his people. War was right on their doorsteps and he was nowhere to help them. She silently stood and pulled the broken blade from her belt. Boromir tensed at her actions, but froze when he saw what she held.

"Narsil," He gasped, then eyed her suspiciously. "What is a poor man doing with a King's blade? The blade is why I have traveled all this way. In a dream I was told I would find it here, and that I must seek it out."

Aragorn placed the blade back in her belt and sent him a forgiving smile. "Then perhaps you should stop asking for the ring." She responded sternly. "I understand the confusion, for I must not resemble the figures of Elindil and Isildur in all of their majesty, carven in the halls of Denethor, but I assure you that I am his heir." She made sure to phrase her sentence properly as not to technically be lying. She never once stated whether she was a man or woman.

Boromir still looked upon her uncertainly. "If what you say is true then I would love for the sword you carry to come to light once more and strike fear into the hearts of our enemies. We are hard pressed for help, and honestly," he eyed her wearily, full of doubt, "anyone would do."

He ignored the way he responded. After all, he had no clue how she fought or who she was. She would prove herself like she had proved so many times before. "Then the sword will be reforged. I will come to Minas Tirith to aid you."

Elrond looked thoughtful at the two as he remembered the events of so long ago. "Another reason the ring ended up where it did is that the ring had remained lost after the battle that day. Until recently I had hoped that it had fallen into the river and would remained so until the end of time. Sadly, things have a different way of working." He turned his gaze toward Gandalf, who had been quietly listening. He was one of the few beings in the room who hadn't been fidgeting. "And what transpired after is something I have little insight on, so I will let Gandalf fill in the gaps."

The wizard smiled and leaned forward in his chair. "The story of what happened to the ring after it fell into the river is mostly speculation, and hazy at best." He shrugged. "I will do my best to sate your curiosity on the matter." He folded his frail looking old hands before glancing at each person in the room.

"Bilbo found the ring long ago in a cave with a mad little creature by the name of Smeagol. Apparently he found it in the river when fishing with another, though his greed drove him to kill his friend and leave his people for the mountain he resided for many years while it warped his mind and will. The ring gave him a prolonged life, though his body grew nearly as ugly as his mind. When Bilbo found it there was little of Smeagol left." His tone was full of regret. "Perhaps if we knew to look for him sooner... If we were not so blind and had searched for the ring sooner..."

Aragorn looked to him, a frown forming on her face. "If he did not want to be found, then he would not have been found. It took me many years to finally track him down and trap him. It took me almost as long to ensure he did not escape while I escorted him to Mirkwood's dungeons."

Several of the dwarves stiffened in contempt with the mention of Thranduil's dungeons, but they remained silent for the time being.

"Perhaps," Legolas chimed in, "this is as good a time as any to tell why I am here," The elf hedged nervously, but when nobody objected he continued.

"Recently the darkness has retaken my people's homelands... and in the confusion surrounding the events it seems that the creature you speak of has been misplaced."

Aragorn felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach as a flurry of angered outcries erupted throughout the room, most of which belonged to the dwarves when the realized that the elf who spoke hailed from the despised realm of Mirkwood. "What did your King do this time, Elfling? Did he forget which cell he locked the decrepit creature in?"

An angered, deadly glint sparkled in Legolas's eyes for only a moment. It was quickly replaced with a false smile that was obviously learned for diplomatic purposes. He was the Prince of Mirkwood after all, and it was doubtful he would stand by to allow the King's name be tarnished.

"It was not as though we took no precautions with the creature. We housed it, showed it a kindness that it had not known for years, and offered it the best we had. We treated it an awful lot like we treated your kind, giving you good rooms and pristine foods even when you refused to cooperate with my father."

The dwarves scoffed and made to argue, but Elrond raised a hand. "Please, be silent. This story is more important than a simple feud." He nodded to Legolas, "Continue."

Legolas nodded, remorse ghosting over his flawless features as Aragorn listened with dread. Capturing the creature had taken up several years of her life. She hated to think of how cunning the thing had become now, and how much longer it would take her should she be called upon to do it again, especially with the war going on. It would be nearly impossible.

"As not to let the foul creature revert back to its old ways of living we deemed it appropriate to allow it time in the open. The dungeons are dark, much like the caves it use to inhabit, and we hated to think that it would be lost in this shadow for ever." Legolas swallowed and looked away uncomfortably. "We still sent him out with heavy guard, but one day he did not return. When I went out to search, I stumbled upon many of my people dead or carried off, slaughtered by orcs. That is when I knew the darkness had returned, for the trees began to feel sick only days later and more beasts have returned to our woods in hopes to drive us out. The sickly creature, Gollum- Smeagol- or whatever you deem proper to call him, disappeared when his guards were killed. I do not know if he orchestrated it, or if he was carried off by the beasts, or even if he used that moment to his advantage to flea." He waved his hand fluidly through the air. "All I know is that he no longer resides in our forests."

Glóin furiously shouted and jumped to his feet, "Codswallop! The whole story! You never once let our people see the sun while you held us prisoners!"

Legolas simply shot him a hard look, not even bothering to rise from his seat. It wouldn't have mattered much anyways, he still towered over the dwarf, who would have probably been slightly taller had he instead stood upon his chair, or simply remained seated instead of jumped from it. "Perhaps that would have solved all of our problems had my father paraded you around above ground at that time, but if your remember our forests were still densely populated by all manners of dark creatures. Even my people did not enjoy venturing too far from home at that time." He looked indifferently at the short creature who still attempted to glare down his bulbous nose at him in contempt. "Also, taking into account that you are dwarves, would you have really enjoyed the sunlight and trees, or would you have simply used it as means of escape like Gollum apparently has?" Glóin faltered slightly at being compared to the odd creature, and Legolas grinned down at the dwarf. "You would have felt much more at home in the tunnels of the cells, rather than in the forests which obviously set you at unease. You would do well to think before you lash out next time."

Glóin was still scowling, but he climbed back into his seat. "I will think when I chose to think, and not when some elf tells me to!" He retorted lamely, quietly enough that he obviously thought he was the only one to hear. All of the elves and Aragorn, who was raised to listen like an elf, heard his words, however.

Legolas only chuckled. "That was obviously that was what Isildur thought too."

Aragorn winced and Glóin's mouth hung open in shock.

"Perhaps," Aragorn interrupted, "It would be a better use of our time to discus what to do about Gollum, and how to deal with the Ring now that it has revealed itself. Petty quarreling is only helping Sauron's cause. We must try to unite." She looked around the room pleadingly and met mostly begrudging faces, but thankfully they stayed quiet this time. She turned to Elrond again, this time trying to look very serious as she announced, "I found several spies of the enemy hiding in your borders while we have patiently waited your council. I fear that they already know of the rings existence and have tracked it here in Rivendell."

"That may be my doing," Gandalf admitted ashamedly. "While seeking help and counsel of my own, I went to Saruman the White. It appears a lust for power has overtaken his scenes. While his love of knowledge is great, he seems to have delved too deeply into the knowledge surrounding the Dark Lord Sauron. He would not listen to reason when I asked for his aid. He instead aligns him self with evil, and intends to take the ring for his own and use the power to become a ruler. Sadly, I did not notice this change in him until after I had already mentioned the Ring. I had known him for many years as being wise and good, though perhaps a tad too ambitious. It took me by surprise when he attempted to hold me prisoner." He rubbed his neck uncomfortably,as though it pained him to even think about the fight he had with his fellow Istari.

The room went silent at the mention of one of the great wizards, the most powerful, becoming yet another force to be reckoned with. It seemed almost certain that the outcome of the war would not be in their favor.

"There is nothing to be done about that now." Elrond huffed, thoroughly unhappy at the news of what he thought was a powerful ally becoming a dangerous foe. "I also fear that we have not the time to seek Gollum again, though I fear this will not be the last we hear from him. We must focus on the Ring for the time being, and the only way I know of to ensure that the Ring does not end up int the hands of our enemies is to destroy it in the same fires in which it was made. It will be a perilous journey to Mordor, but the only way we cam be certain that it will not fall into the wrong hands. The number of hands which seek it seem to be growing."

Boromir still seemed adamant in rejecting the idea of doing anything with the ring than aiding his people, for he once again spoke up. "I still disagree. If Saruman thinks he might be able to warp the ring to his benefit, then might we also do the same? The people of Gondor are valiant! We will not submit to a trinket, but without aid we may be beaten down in time if something does not change."

Elrond frowned again. "No. Should you ever have the misfortune to see what happened to Smeagol, you would know why I deny you."

Boromir bowed his head. "So be it. We will simply have to hope that the Sword-that-was-broken will stem the tide- if the hand that wields it has inherited more than an heirloom, but also the sinews of the Kings of Men," He sighed doubtfully as his eyes landed once again on Aragorn, who felt her ears go hot in agitation at the man's tone. She held her tongue, but barely.

"Very well," Elrond said. "The lat order of business is yet to be decided." He gestured to the ring as it lay almost innocently on the table before him. "Who shall be the messengers sent with the ring?"

The room went silent at the grave as gazes shifted left then right, almost begging that anybody else would offer to put their life on the line. It seemed like a suicide mission, and the added tension of being the one to hold the burden of the free world on their shoulders was also daunting. Aragorn and Boromir were already tasked with other duties, so it was obvious that they would not be able. Legolas had been charged with her protection, so he was most likely going to follow her. The Dwarves probably wished for a safe return home to warn their kin of impending doom.

Finally a very small voice broke through the tension. "I will take the Ring," Frodo gulped nervously, "Though I do not know the way."

All eyes turned to the small hobbit, who had already carried the burden further than anyone should have.

"Very well, Frodo." Elrond said, locking him with a piercing gaze. "I can think of no one better suited than you."

Several people nodded in agreement while Aragorn simply looked upon the small, helpless looking creature in worry. He would need her protection in the days to come, of that she was certain.

And thus began the Fellowship of the Ring.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Where They Finally leave Rivendell!

* * *

"Ada, where has Aragorn gone?"

Those words were the exact words Elrond had been avoiding all day, yet some how his daughter had found him despite the fact that he had charged both Erestor and Glorfindel with keeping her entertained long enough that she might not notice the travelers leaving that morning. Thankfully, she didn't see them leave, but she must have been made aware of it at some point during the day. She looked rather distressed, with a worried frown unfit for the daughter of a Lord crossing her soft, dark lips. She must have known that Aragorn had left for good this time and was not simply patrolling the borders again as he had been doing for the past several months. It did take time to reforge a sword, ready supplies for a trip, and send out scouting parties of their own to ensure that the companies passage would be safe, but finally the cursed ring was gone from his land. He was thankful.

He was not thankful that his daughter's infatuation had not weakened over this time. He had hoped that she would simply lose interest before he had to tell her the truth. He hated to think of how betrayed she would feel, not only by him as a father, but towards the future king as a friend. She may possibly despise Aragorn for this deception, which would be bad for any future relations between their peoples before they crossed the sea.

"Did Aragorn not seek you out before leaving this morning, my child?" Elrond asked, trying to sound unknowing, which was a mighty feat to pull off seeing as how he _was_ generally all-knowing. "I am sure that the youngling simply forgot. Humans tend to do such things when faced with so much."

She shook her head, "No. He would have remembered. Aragorn told me he would see me before he left. He gave me his word."

Elrond nodded, trying to seem powerful in his wisdom. On the inside he was terrified. Had she promised Arwen she would see her before their departure? If so, perhaps his telling Aragorn not to say goodbye was a mistake. He had hoped that not seeing Aragorn would make the transition easier for Arwen- a clean break. As it was, it seems he just ruined things even more for the future ruler.

"The young-one had pure intentions, I assure you," Elrond soothed, motioning for his daughter to sit while he poured her a glass of water. "Aragorn cares for you, and that is why a goodbye was hard on the mortal's tongue. A goodbye for an elf means little, but to their fragile kind it is much more... permanent."

At this Arwen actually laughed. "We have talked about his mortality before, father. I am fine with it, and one day I may even make the choice uncle did by embracing my mortal lineage to its fullest." She stated everything so joyfully that she didn't even realize how her words affected her father.

Elrond felt his blood run cold at her proclamation, his entire body going ridged with grief as he remembered quite vividly how his brother withered away in his chosen mortal existence. Never again did he want to witness someone so close to him die by age- a poison no healer could prevent. That was part of his reasoning behind leaving for Valinor. His fae would not be able to withstand witnessing Aragorn's death, however it might occur.

"There was another reason," he managed to croak between calming breaths. Arwen didn't notice his sudden change, as she was to busy with her day-dreams of a king. He paused as he tried to think of a way to put his thoughts to words. "I want you to understand that Aragorn is being very selfless by doing this, and I think you should listen."

She looked up at her father's stern face, smiling and confused as to what point he was trying to convey. "What, Ada? What advice are you going to give me that I must heed? I love him and I plan on staying with him."

Elrond groaned, "Think of what you are saying, my child! The one you love is a mortal! All of those fables that I read you when you were young about our kind wedding to a second-born? They never ended with both parties living happily ever after! They all died. Tragically so. How would Aragorn feel if something like that happened because he selfishly wished for you to stay? Aragorn has a commitment to his people before all else."

She opened her mouth to object but he quickly raised his hand to silence her. "There will be no objections. You will join me in when we leave for Valinor." He frowned at her furious features. "It is for your own good, and I hope you can understand some day."

She sat straighter in her chair, giving out a dignified sniff before acknowledging, "Yes, ada. I understand."

He smiled. "Good." That went better than expected. "You are dismissed, and I will expect your presence at dinner tonight."

She stood, gathering her extravagant dress around her in the most noble way she could given the circumstances, before dashing from the room, tears threatening to escape her beautiful eyes.

She understood, alright. She understood that Aragorn had left her behind. He betrayed her and her heart, which she had so willingly tried to give to the kind warrior with the soft features, who seemed so insecure and uncertain when it came to such things as love. He seemed so kind and unexperienced that she never expected him to break her trust, but he did.

Obviously, her father did not want to talk about this anymore. It was fine with her, as she preferred to talk to a lady about such things. However, with her mother gone she knew there was only one other elleth to contact that would understand the pain her heart-felt at the moment.

The moment she reached the privacy of her chambers she drew open the window and let out a soft coo. Soon enough a small dove was resting on her sill, where she then began crying and lamenting her woes to the startled bird. Her anger seeped into the words, displaying the mistrust of her beloved instead of her adoration in the immediate anger and self-pity of the moment. Looking back on it, she may one day wish that she had sorted a few things out emotionaly before sending her letter.

Finally, she finished her tale and patted the small feathered thing on the head. "Please see that my words make it to my grandmother. I haven't a clue who else I should turn to in this time of woe, but she always knows how to sooth me. Hurry, and be safe." The dove hooted in acceptance. "Remember, to Galadriel and do not stop till you reach her. There are vile things spreading in the world, and she will care for you."

With one last coo, the dove was gone, carrying with it the biggest bit of news Lothlorien would hear in years and something that would quite possibly make Galadriel quake with more rage than Elrond had.

After all, she was not one of the half-elven, and she had no intentions of seeing her daughter fade with age. Especially if this creature was as heartless as Arwen made him out to be in her message.

~0~

Aragorn looked around at the sorry bunch of misfits that were chosen to accompany the Ring. How far they went with it only time and luck could tell, but neither seemed to be in their favor with her current company. Five of the nine were rather slow and often lagged due to their short stature, making the destruction of the Ring seem uncomfortably close at hand.

Legolas obviously joined the group in what seemed to be a very willing manner, knowing that Elrond would corner him latter if he did not. He even made his plea to assist sound so sincere that Gimli, son of Gloin, had joined as well. No Dwarf would be out done by an elf, and his father was getting slightly too old to undergo such a quest. In doing this, all four major beings of middle earth were thus represented for one reason or another, along with a wizard.

All four of the hobbits that Aragorn had somehow managed to wrestle from the clutches of evil earlier in her ventures had also stubbornly decided to take on the quest. When the other three had learned of their friend Frodo taking on the burden they didn't hesitate to show their loyalty by sticking by the long time friend through the undoubtable perils that awaited him on the venture. While it seemed a very noble thing to do at the time, it was doing little more than slowing them all down. At the pace they were going it was possibly going to take them twice the estimated time, and the company was already at each others throats after only a day.

"...as the age-old Dwarven saying goes, if you ever get the chance to bury the hatchet, do it in your enemies back!" Gimli humphed, fixing the bored looking elf with a pointed glare while running his pudgy, freckled little hands menacingly down the handle of one of his dual combat axes. They obviously were his weapons of choice, as he frequently liked to point out how the dagger, sword, and bow were all inferior to it. Interestingly enough, the only weapon he hadn't managed to insult thus far had been Gandalf's staff.

Aragorn simply chalked it up to an inferiority complex due to his height and trying to compensate, so she ignored it. Boromir ignored it too for the most part, though she could tell that it was starting to bother him, especially the way Legolas would always say something as soon as he seemed finished with his rant, which would then lead into an argument, or yet another rant that they were forced to listen to.

Thankfully, the group was able to obtain a few moments of silence before Legolas opened his mouth, goading the Dwarf yet again. "Actually, there is no proof that the saying is Dwarven, but considering all facts it was most likely first said by an elf. The Eldar were the first beings to walk here, and we no doubt invented the hatchet."

The dwarf spluttered, nearly coming to a complete halt, which was hardly any different to his usual short-gaited pace, in all honesty. It hardly mattered seeing as how the hobbits were already lagging behind with tired looks on their cherubic, little faces. It seemed nearly time to set up camp if the way the sun was hanging in the sky was anything to go by.

Aragorn surveyed her surroundings with a sharp eye, looking for a safe place to set up camp while Gimli continued to rant at the elf, who was obviously suppressing a grin.

"That is a Dwarvish saying through and through! Just because you came into the world first does not mean you invented everything! Us dwarves are masters at tinkering! We most certainly made a hatchet before you tree-talkers did!" Gimli shouted his attempted insults with as much anger as he could, white-knuckling his axe in fury.

Aragorn noticed with annoyance that the sudden shouting caused a small flock of birds to scatter from a nearby tree while eying the terrain for their resting place. Although she suspected it was nothing, she knew she should step in.

She raised her hand for their full attention while placing the other to her lips, motioning for them to quiet, "If you must result to petty arguments to pass the time, then please do not raise your voices." She turned her gaze gravely toward their surroundings, which were uncomfortably quiet. Too quiet, in fact, even if they had just been fighting. "We have many enemies, and they may have many ears and eyes watching and waiting for word of our movement through the world," she whispered as gravely as she could to her comrades. "This constant bickering must stop or become less violent, lest you draw too much attention to our movements."

She looked first at Gimli, then at Legolas, imploring them to stop for the good of the company with a simple pleading glance, which conveyed her utter disappointment at their childish antics.

Gimli grunted and shifted uncomfortably under her penetrating gaze, which was an expression she had learned from Elrond after the many times he used it on her in her youth.

"Aye! Fine, I will stop," Gimli finally burst. "Good luck convincing the elf."

Legolas's eyes narrowed in annoyance at the dwarf, then turned back to the human in irritation. She was a simple mortal and he was an elf- older, wiser, and far more skilled than she would ever be in her entire existence. How dare she think she could tell him what to do. She was simply a little girl playing dress-up in men's clothes.

"You may be the future King of your people, but I am far from being a Human," Legolas said haughtily. "I am an elf, and a prince. I do not bow to the words of a mortal King that looks as though they would do better work in the kitchens of Imladris than the battlefields of war!"

Aragorn turned pink with rage and indignation, completely forgetting about their company for a moment. "I am simply trying to decide what would be best for everybody. I never acted condescending to your culture, race, or, " she stopped short of saying 'gender' when she saw the curious eyes of the four hobbits looking at her from behind Gandalf's amused ones. "Or anything else..." she added lamely, suddenly feeling uncomfortable as she noticed Gandalf's laughing eyes growing even brighter when she nearly slipped up.

"Ladies, you are both very pretty little lasses, but now is not the time to fight about whose beauty tips are the best," Gimli joked, trying to break the tension.

His joke went over well with the wizard, and Boromir. Gandalf let out an elderly chuckle while the Gondorian exploded with a booming laugh that enveloped the hushed landscape. Both Legolas and Aragorn looked highly insulted, even though it was due to the truth in the dwarf's statement that seemed to insult Aragorn the most.

"I am a man!" They shouted simultaneously, causing Legolas to whip his head back around to face Aragorn so fast that she heard his braids slap his high cheekbones. His eyes were wide, and he looked slightly confused at her proclamation, and perhaps even a little disgusted if Aragorn was reading his expression correctly.

She looked away uncomfortably, shifting from foot to foot.

"Aye, sure you are," Gimli laughed. "In my people's opinion the only beings born without beards are human women."

"That is simply narrow-minded of your people," Legolas growled, turning his attention back to the dwarf. "Very few elves ever grow facial hair, and hobbits grow no facial hair as well."

"Elves are an awful lot like women, in our people's opinion," Gimli said with a sliver of a smile creeping through his braided beard, "Especially the ones from Mirkwood; they avoid harsh battles and war, and they love gems and jewelry."

Aragorn had to jump in front of Legolas to prevent him from throttling the dwarf. "How dare you!"

"Gimli, I thought you agreed not to fight anymore!" Aragorn scolded. The moment she moved to restrain the elf he quickly shot her a venomous look, as if daring her to touch him, before turning his back on the conversation with his arms crossed.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. How did Elrond expect all of these different people to get along on this long journey? It was the beginnings to a horrible joke! A wizard, an elf, a dwarf, two humans, and four hobbits walked into Mordor when...

She would have thought it was funny had she not been stuck in it.

Boromir decided that it was his turn to talk, however, "Gimli brings up a good point!" His voice boomed in the clearing. "Why is it that you have no beard?" He pointed to her face with a perplexed frown inching across his features. "You are no elf, that much is sure by your presentation."

He meant no harm in his comment, but it was still slightly insulting, even if she looked her usual weather-beaten self, which had happened earlier in the day when Pippin accidentally tripped her into a stagnant pool of foul-smelling water with his large, furry feet. He claimed it was an accident, but the way he and his cousin had carried on about it afterwards caused her to sincerely doubt it.

She winced, and she could just make out the visible corner of Legolas's lip twitch into a smile. She took a deep breath and tried to focus her thoughts. "You are right, I am no elf," she rephrased, trying to gain time while making an excuse. She would not be able to simply claim she was shaving. They would notice she never grew even the slightest stubble after just days of traveling together. It would be so much simpler if she was an elf.

As soon as that thought crossed her mind a hardly noticeable smile crossed her features. "I am no elf, but an ancestor of mine was Elros. He was Elrond's twin brother, and half-elven. His blood runs through my veins." She neglected to mention that the elvish blood was very diluted with generations of human breeding.

Legolas spun around to face her, shocked by her cunning and grace under pressure.

"Now," She ground out in an authoritative voice, then faltered slightly in doubt. "Don't you agree that we should stop for the day, Mithrandir?" She turned to the sage old wizard, mentally begging that he would take note of her distress and agree with her.

Gandalf nodded kindly, "Yes, I do believe that the hobbits have had enough traveling for one day. We shall start again tomorrow, but for now it would be best to ready a place to sleep." He motioned to the clearing, "Make yourselves comfortable."

And they all did. There was no bickering over the authority his words held, for he was wiser and more powerful than all of them.

The hobbits, much to the surprise of most of the company, had their bed-rolls out before all the others thanks to the kind nature of Aragorn. She hated the thought of the small child-like creatures being forced to fend for themselves, which unknowingly brought out a maternal instinct in her that she hadn't known she possessed before.

Once all of the halflings were tucked away and under the careful supervision of Gandalf she sneaked back to the others. Obviously they didn't hear her approach, or didn't heed her words from earlier, because once again she heard the beginnings of a fight.

"I agree that the elves no doubt made a hatchet, for the dwarves seem more like workers rather than idea peoples." Boromir had stated his findings in a rather political manner, though the way he said it made it sound rather insulting, unfortunately. Gimli looked less than pleased with the back-handed comment that made his people sound dimwitted. Legolas was smiling so big that Aragorn knew things were about to take a very nasty turn.

"But," Boromir continued, "I do not believe that elves made that phrase." Boromir took a rather long swig out of his water skin, and she suddenly got a very bad feeling that he had filled it with something out of the pantry before they left.

"Ha!" Gimli suddenly ignored the previous comment when it meant he might prove the elf wrong on something and pointed his pudgy little fingers in the confused elf's face.

"What?" Legolas asked in utter befuddlement.

"Perhaps he has realized what a group of tree-hugging, star-lovers you all are! Someone like you lot would never be able to make a serious sounding threat. You probably give your enemies a crown of daisies!" Gimli laughed, answering in Boromir's stead when he continued nursing his water skin.

"Not capable of a threat, are we?" Legolas growled, leaping forward so fast that Aragorn couldn't even follow his movements. He was suddenly toe to toe with the dwarf, who was very brave and very stupid. He didn't even flinch or back away from the confrontation. "We have no need for threats when it comes to beings such as yourself," He spat. "Why don't we go behind those bushes over there and I will show you why."

Gimli just _had_ to get in one last jab,"I am sorry, but I don't go for you pointy-eared types."

"Stop!" Aragorn bellowed in her deepest, most authoritative voice. It was lucky she yelled when she did, because Legolas had Gimli by the collar only a second later, feet dangling from the ground, and his fist was pulled back as though he were ready to punch him. Gimli also had one of his feet pulled back as if he were going to kick Legolas in the stomach or crotch, but both froze and turned at the sound of her voice.

"I asked you both kindly to stop this nonsense, but you two obviously plan on making our pursuer's work even easier by killing each other!" She cried, looking at the two in disgust. "Who is winning when you do this? Not us, that is certain. Your squabbles are as foolish as they are selfish. Should one of you die we will be one man short, and we have four hobbits to protect who have little fighting experience!" She shook her head, "Learn to get along or we will all die from it."

She crossed the clearing, oblivious to the shocked looks of her comrades as she retrieved her blade and a bow. Legolas was so shocked that his grip accidentally loosened too much on the dwarven tunic, and the dwarf was so shocked that he didn't even cry out when he made the rather far drop to the ground. "I will go on first watch tonight. I cannot stand the thought of being in your presence at the moment."

With that departing comment she was off, into the woods to find peace and quiet, and hopefully a stream to wash herself off in. When she finally found one just a few meters from their camp she immersed herself completely, clothes and all. The questionable puddle water had covered her clothes and body, so it seemed like a waste of time to strip and scrub the clothes while completely exposed in nature where an enemy could attack.

That would be plain stupid.

Of course, it was also stupid of her not to have grabbed her spare tunic while she rummaged for her weapons, but she had been so irritated that it had been the last thing on her mind at the moment. Turning back to get it would make her seem dumb, and the group had doubted each other enough for one day.

So, she took to dunking her head and scrubbing her garments out as best she could on her body, hoping the small fire they had going would be enough to dry her before the cold set in when she returned from her watch. The water was cold enough as it was, though thankfully not nearly as cold as it should have been, considering the season. If she didn't get this stench off her clothes, she would be endangering her company. A warg would be able to pick up her sent for days.

She was so busy thinking about ridding herself of the stench, and dreaming of eventual warmth by a fire that she didn't even hear the rustling of the bushes until it was too late.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

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Thanks for all of your awesome reviews!

Took me a while to update, but here we are!

P.S. Lord of the Ringses does not belong to me... No matter how muches we wants it. Right, My Precious? *Begins talking to self*

Enjoy!

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Legolas, Boromir and Gimli watched as Aragorn's figure slunk from the clearing, shoulders slightly tense from scolding them. It was almost comical how serious she could be while covered head to toe in puddle-muck.

Of course they all knew she was right, but they hated to admit it, especially after that infuriating human just gave that speech that made them feel like the gunk on her tunic. It would make it seem like they weren't the ones coming up with the idea if they readily agreed, and both of the two beings were too stubborn to admit the future human king's words actually moved them at this point in their acquaintanceship.

Gimli made an attempt to fold his chubby little arms across his barrel chest several times, before finally settling with his fists on his hips as he looked away from Legolas with an indifferent frown on his lips. Legolas stood with his hip jutted to one side, hair spilled over the shoulder nearest the dwarf as though it might act as a curtain, blocking out the inferior dwarf from his vision.

They stood like that for several minutes in stubborn pride with only the sounds of Boromir readying the sleeping mats and the hobbits' snores as background noise. The Gondorian had long since given up watching the entertainment, choosing instead to sleep. They had a long day ahead of them if they ever wished to make it to the mountains.

"Well," Gimli said, breaking the silence while running a contemplative hand through his scraggly beard, flexing his flashy muscles proudly as he did so in what looked like an animalistic attempt at dominance to a passer by. Legolas merely snorted at the dwarf's attempt to show off. "Perhaps Aragorn does have a point," Gimli finally stated when he was finished preening in his own dwarvish fashion.

Legolas shifted, letting the star light from the gap in the trees filter down onto his skin and give him an almost ethereal glow. The dwarf would never be able to outmatch him in handsomeness, that was for sure- though he doubted the dwarf would even stand a chance against him in a fair fight. "Aye, we should put aside our differences to settle at a later date," he grumbled in a somewhat begrudging tone.

Another long silence ensued as they eyed each other skeptically. Even the surrounding wildlife seemed to quiet at the tense conversation. Legolas couldn't even sense it, which he found slightly off putting. Generally nature was not as in tune with the squabbles of travelers unless they considered it a threat. Perhaps the growing threats of darkness was enough to silence natures noises in modern times though, so he dismissed it.

"That settles it then," Gimli finally agreed. "But that doesn't mean we have to start- dare I say it- being friendly with one another!"

Legolas and Gimli shuddered at the same time, though seeing as how they faced opposite direction in that moment, they had no clue how similar they were responding.

"Goodness, no!" Legolas half spluttered, mixed with melodic chuckles. "As soon as we are finished protecting the hobbits we may go back to our strong dislike for one another."

Gimli nodded. "Agreed. If Aragorn thinks we can be friends then he is crazy! What self-respecting Dwarf is an elf-friend?" He chuckled, turning to face the elf, elbowing the other slightly to bring him in on the laughter.

Legolas joined in willingly. "Exactly my point! And what kind of Elvish prince makes a bond of friendship with a dwarf of the Lonely Mountains?" He paused to ponder for a moment. "Not one who wants to live if my father still holds his grudges, that is certain."

Gimli narrowed his eyes at the elf. "My father would chop off my head if I made Thranduil's spawn anything more than a traveling companion," he agreed, a biting edge to his voice.

The two eyed each other, all laughter gone from their faces, the air suddenly growing heavy as it seemed to weigh down with years of tension and a generation of misconstrued hatred.

"For the hobbits," Legolas finally bit out through clenched teeth. He really didn't like this one bit, but then again, if they were ever going to travel so near the enemy's gates they needed to stop getting into such heated discussions. It was bound to draw attention to orcs, goblins and perhaps even a troll or two if they grew as spirited as they had earlier that day. Thankfully, they were to far from Isengard or Mordor to cause too much of a ruckus with their arguments, though there was always a possibility that a spy of Sauron or Saruman would overhear them. They really needed to tread more softly.

Gimli thrust his hand out in agreement. "For those blasted little creatures."

Legolas stopped himself from retorting with a- 'You're not much taller.' Mostly because he had just finished shaking the dwarfs much smaller hand. As a prince he would hold himself to much higher standards than the dwarf, even when he doubted a dwarf would be able keep his word.

Another thing that kept him from retorting was the sudden sound of splashing water meeting his elvish ears from the nearby brook. It seemed to be so much louder to his keen senses with the sounds of the night-time creatures being so terrifyingly absent.

Without even hesitating, he ran off into the woods after the sound, knowing exactly who it was. Knowing humans and their poor eyesight, he suspected Aragorn ran off in a fit of rage after the confrontation and forgot about the stream in her emotional turmoil. With Legolas's luck, Aragorn fell in and was drowning, leaving him all alone to face Elrond's wrath.

When Legolas withdrew his hand from the dwarf's dirt-covered mitts and charged into the brush in the same direction that Aragorn had gone, Gimli looked on, slightly bewildered at his sudden movement. His hearing was nowhere near as good as the elf's , and he was not as in tune with his surroundings as the elf was, mostly due to his many years working with tools and machinery in echoing caves. Gimli simply stared after the elf as he dashed into the bushes like a maniac. He decided that elves were odd creatures, and perhaps it would be best for him to get his rest rather than try to understand their motives or belittle them any further. He twaddled over to his sleeping roll and readied himself for a good night's slumber.

Legolas ran through the woods, chest hammering at the thought of Aragorn dying so close to Elrond's home- and within the first day of their quest no less! He strained his ears, listening for the sounds of the mortal's flailing, which became steadily louder as he moved along the water's edge.

When he finally found her, he froze on the bank in confusion. He really wasn't sure what he was seeing, but the water seemed too shallow for her to be drowning. He stood back, utterly befuddled and watched until he could completely comprehend what he was witnessing.

Aragorn had yet to take note of Legolas on the shore, that much was obvious from the way she continuously dove beneath the water, popping back up a minute later, gasping for breath, then falling beneath the shallow depths again with a cough and a splutter.

If she was swimming then she was doing a terrible job of it. It was a skill Elrond obviously neglected, that was certain as Legolas watched her jerky movements. She did not have the grace of an elf. It was almost painful to Legolas's senses to watch her puttering around in what may have been a romantic, moonlit setting had she not looked like a drowning cat. He smiled slightly to himself, being thankful that Aragorn would at least not smell as bad come morning.

Just as he turned to leave something caught the light of the moon that made him freeze. The head that had surfaced for breath looked like Aragorn's, what with the uneven dark hair, but when the moon hit its face, it looked... almost rotten. He blinked disbelievingly for a moment, squinting, but in another second the head had fallen below the surface of the water with a soft grunt.

He stared at the water, which had turned unsettlingly still after the head had fallen below the water. He waited, not believing his eyes. Obviously it was a trick of the moonlight reflecting off of the water. There was no way...

Suddenly a hand flew from the water, and Legolas could not deny the fact that the hand was gnarled, off green, and gripping a flashing knife. It was only visible for a moment before it plunged beneath the surface, making Legola's heart constrict.

He reached for the knife on his own belt, freeing it just as a large cloud of murky darkness began stretching over the clarity of the stream. He hoped against all odds it was simply murky water, and not blood. Still nothing moved, so he waited.

And waited.

Legolas swore under his breath when a dark-headed body surfaced on the bank at other end of the stream, pushed there by the current of the water. He wearily approached it, gripping his weapon in hand firmly, preparing himself for an attack should the other body appear.

Once he waded across the river he slowly bent to his comrade's side, moving to turn her still form over. It was obvious from the way she was positioned face down in the mud that she was most-likely dead. He was too late. And Elrond would have his hide. What an anti-climactic way to go for the both of them.

He was so busy thinking about if Elrond would make good on his word that he did not hear the rippling of water behind him.

"Don't move, or I will plunge this knife between your shoulders," a horse voice growled behind the prince menacingly.

Legolas nodded his head in understanding, raising his hands in surrender only to feel his own knife being ripped from his grasp. It did not matter, though. He had its twin still safely tucked away in his belt. When the opportune moment presented itself, he would strike. He was already at an advantage seeing as how they stood in the shadows of a tree. The creature would not be able to see him nearly as well as an elf would with his years of training.

"How did you come by this knife?" The creature queried, an edge of anger seeping into the strained voice.

Legolas simply did not answer. The orc deserved no answer. It would die soon anyway.

As soon as the creature went to ask a second time, pressing deeper into Legolas's back with a blade, he swiftly bent forward, hooking a leg around the monster's to trip it back into the water it was previously fighting another in. It fell easily enough, with a slight gasp while Legolas spun and pounced on top of it- blade at its throat while dark hair fanned out in the stream around the moon-lit face of his attacker. He was seconds away from slashing his blade across its throat, which nearly begged for death in the way its heavy breathing pressed his knife further into the skin.

There was a moment of silence, mingled with heavy breathing as Legolas continued to sit atop his captive in the shallow water, staring down at its face. Legolas immediately stopped his attack and gaped in horror at who he nearly decapitated as the body continued to thrash beneath him, struggling to free itself from yet another attacker.

"Aragorn?" He gaped in awe. The sound of his voice, thankfully, was enough to make her stop her struggles and squint up at him while her eyes adjusted to the dark, then widened in shock and recognition. "But- but the blade- the body on the shore!" He sputtered, pointing at the body behind them.

Aragorn was less than pleased at the sight of the elf on top of her. "YOU!" She shouted, only to end up coughing in the elf's face at the strain it caused on her vocals. "You were the one standing over there, watching as that orc tried to kill me? Valar, I should have known," she groaned dramatically, slapping his loosened grip from her wrists.

Legolas winced. She must have seen his figure at some point during the struggle. "You sound terrible," he commented, trying to redirect the conversation to little avail.

"Do I?" She groused, easing up onto her elbows while the elf slowly rose from her aching form. "I inhaled quite a bit of water, was nearly choked out at one point, and just had you sitting atop me, so it is no surprise to me that I am not up to your obnoxiously high, elvish standards." She rubbed her neck soothingly.

She nodded at the body bobbing on the shore, "That was a dead orc that you must have mistaken me for," she grumbled. "I was able to pull my knife out of my boot last second, but he nearly had me. The thing took me completely by surprise, but it seemed to be traveling by itself. We are lucky for now, but we must tread softly." She eyed Legolas wearily, "I trust that you have made amends with Gimli?"

He suddenly realized that the orc may have been following them in the first place due to their many loud and violent outbursts along the road, as he suspected this may have happened sooner or later should he and Gimli continued their fights. Aragorn's attack may have been his fault completely for not working things out sooner, as he should have, he thought grimly. This entire scenario might have been avoided had they just stopped bickering. Worst of all, it was someone completely uninvolved in their dispute that ended up attacked by the monster.

Though, it also explained why the forest had been unusually quiet earlier. Now that the orc was defeated the crickets seemed to be chirping again and nature's natural balance had been restored. Legolas mentally scolded himself for not noticing it earlier.

"Gimli and I have made an agreement to stop arguing for the good of the company," Legolas said stiffly, taking in Aragorn's sagging, shivering form with a critical eye. It was a cold night, and while an elf's form was impervious to changing weather conditions, humans seemed startlingly affected by them. "Let's get you back to camp and warm you up. You will be no use to the company in your current condition."

She nodded and let Legolas lead her away from the dead orc's body. "I do have one question, though," she grumbled, looking up at the elf in puzzlement.

"What?"

Her glare could have bored a hole in the side of his head. "Why did you not come to my aid? I nearly died," She hissed.

It was one of those questions he knew he could never answer the truth to, else they would never speak civilly again. Who wants to be told that they mistook them being brutally murdered for a simple attempt at swimming. Before he knew it a lie was spilling from his lips, "I doubted my ability to strike the correct one of you. It was hard to determine which was which when you were beneath the water."

Aragorn nodded, though it was obvious she doubted him. "So you simply let him kill me, then you would kill him. That is a very good plan, actually, except for the part where I am dead."

Legolas sighed, knowing this was going nowhere fast. "Fine, in truth I thought you were attempting to swim, which was horribly confusing because of the jerking movements, flops, and flips. It looked very odd, but... then I caught sight of the discolored hand."

He looked over at Aragorn, whose face was devoid of all emotion while she stared at him. Then she burst into laughter.

"Peace, Aragorn! You'll set another orc on us with all of you ruckus, and I won't feel a bit guilty this time!" Legolas tried to quiet her.

"This really shouldn't be funny," she gasped between hacking her abused throat and laughing so hard she began retching up the water she had swallowed earlier that night. "But it is," she garbled.

"Quiet," Legolas hushed. "We are nearing the camp. You will wake the others at this rate."

"The only reason you stood there so long, watching me get murdered, was because you were passing judgment about what a terrible swimmer I was- while I was getting killed!" She wiped the tears forming in the corners of her eyes away with shaking palms. "Oh, if I had not been in need of some laughter just now, I probably would be extremely furious with you."

Legolas nodded, leading the shivering woman into the clearing filled with the sleeping beings of all kinds.

"I must make a confession then, seeing as how you are being so brutally honest with me," Aragorn admitted in a hushed tone, nodding solemnly at the elf in mock sincerity. "While I was being drowned, I just barely made out your figure standing there watching and I thought you were a second orc come to assist the first, which was why I was so concerned when it seemed to be carrying your blade." All laughter and amusement seemed to vanish as she recalled her worst fear. "I thought it must have killed you and taken it, and possibly killed the others!" She shivered, though she was uncertain whether it had anything to do with the weather at that point.

Legolas scoffed at her unwarranted conclusions. "I am far better looking than an orc! And an orc would never be able to kill me."

"Sure, sure," Aragorn teased, shaking off her sudden bout of worries.

Being covered with nearly frozen, soaking wet clothes was probably another thing saving Legolas from Aragorn's wrath, as she was shaking so hard that he doubted she could get her body to function properly even if she did want to throttle him for nearly letting her die. He quickly rested a steady hand around her waist and began leading her closer to the fire as Gandalf quickly approached them, apparently the only one of their group still awake.

"What happened?" He said sternly, running the warming light at the tip of his staff up and down Aragorn's body. "Explain!" His voice cracked like a whip as his angry eyes turned on Legolas full force.

Legolas shrunk back slightly, but managed to hold his ground as he adjusted Aragorn's weight against his side as she leaned further into his body heat when a cool breeze passed through the trees. "There was an orc. Aragorn killed it, but we must be more careful and move faster. I fear there may be more enemies near." Legolas clipped.

Gandalf's brow furrowed as he looked down at Aragorn. "Is this true, child?"

Aragorn nodded hesitantly, "Aye."

Gandalf let out a breath that he had been holding. "It is as I feared. We must move more swiftly if we hope to get to the pass before being caught by more evil, and double our efforts if we hope to reach the mountain pass before it is covered with snow." The wizard turned away from them, "We have a great many things working against us, let us not add young Strider's health to the list. I will keep watch for the remainder of the night." He smiled and winked at the Human before departing through the foliage.

Aragorn's face reddened at the terrible nickname Gandalf used in occasional jest, which had originated on the tip of a rather rude villager's tongue. Normally she did not mind when people called her by that name, but Gandalf had been there when the man had made it, claiming she 'walked like a woman on long, womanly legs, so he would call her Strider.' The man was outrageously drunk at the time. Obviously she had long since stopped walking like a woman, even though her legs- as Legolas had pointed out- were slightly more slender and shapely than most. But the name stuck in the small town she frequented for Ranger duties. Thankfully, with some help from the wizard the nickname never completely disappeared, but the reasoning surrounding it changed to something much more obscure and less embarrassing. Gandalf had yet to let her live that incident down, and part of her suspected that the name was so long-lived because of his meddling.

She nodded to nobody in particular and headed over to the dozing pony, which still held her traveling pack to find her extra clothes, and hopefully even a jerkin. Her fingers were so numb from the cold dip in the water that fumbling with the knots on the bags seemed to be doing nothing more than irritating the animal they were tied to. She let out a frustrated growl, shocking the poor beast from its sleep.

"Need help?" Legolas offered, snaking an arm around the irritated warrior's form, ignoring the fact that her clothes soaked his own as his steady frame enveloped her dripping, shivering one.

"If you want to help me, let me get out of the way first," She grumbled, dropping her arms to her side helplessly with a slight blush rising to her face at the sudden heat. She refused to admit that it had anything to do with his closeness, nor the warmth that spread through her body where his torso touched her back. The breath on the nape of her neck only felt so good because she was so extremely cold, she decided. Also, her heart was merely beating so fast because of the fight she had just gone through. It certainly had nothing to do with the elf, grinning his sultry smirk behind her.

She watched at his nimble fingers quickly untied the pouch from the pony with much more grace than one would expect from such a menial task. "Do you Mirkwood Elves know anything about personal space?"

Legolas responded by dropping the bag on her lap, pulling away, and rising to his feet, which caused her to recoil in shock at the cold air. She gasped in surprise and hugged her bag closer for comfort and warmth.

Legolas gave a large, toothy grin as he looked down at the uncomfortable warrior, chuckling under his breath in amusement. "I merely thought you may require assistance, seeing as how you are cold enough to freeze the Eye of Sauron from where you stand."

She slowly uncurled herself from the ground to stand, now taking notice of how filthy her clothes were becoming again. "I am going just behind those bushes to change into something less soaked," she ground-out before storming passed him.

He smirked impishly as she passed, taking note for the first time how disheveled she looked in her baggy, water-logged clothes that hugged her lean, feline form. It was very obvious that she was not a normal man beneath her tunic, as her chest bandages seemed to have unraveled slightly in the attack. "Perhaps you will need my assistance disrobing?" Legolas teased, causing her to blush even redder in embarrassment that she tried to hide. "Though, it seems the orc has already helped you enough."

She looked down in the direction that he pointed, quickly hugging her bag to her chest when she noticed her state of undress. "I- I require no help, thank you!" She stumbled over both her own words and her feet as she quickly ran from the clearing, changing in a record time, just in case. Legolas was choking on silent gales of laughter. He was no longer going to be able to seek out the dwarf for amusement, but this human was bound to be an entertaining creature during the course of their ventures. And he was already tricked by Elrond to keep an eye on its well-being. He was just going to have to make the most of it.

He looked around the camp at the still sleeping figures of his comrades as he made his way to his spot. Really, they could sleep through just about anything.

Little did he know that one of the six figures huddled in the clearing was very far from sleep, as he had been lying on the ground, feigning slumber in hopes it might simply happen upon him. After overhearing so much strange conversation between the elf and man, he would be up late into the night, trying to decipher the true intents of the parties involved.

And why it looked like the elf was embracing the human from behind when he opened his eyes for a moment.

At times like these, the figure really hoped that he was simply sleeping and this was all a dream, because this could spell disaster for their quest. He scrunched his eyes as hard as he could when he heard Aragorn re-enter the campsite and make way to the nearly burnt out fire.

It had to be a dream. With luck, he wouldn't remember a thing about it in the morning, and he would be well rested.

Sadly, few amongst the Fellowship were blessed with much luck.


End file.
